Fuzzy ranking approach for conceptual design evaluation

Schemes evaluation is one of the most important stages in conceptual design. A fuzzy ranking approach based on fuzzy preference relations, considering both customer preference and technical capability of design scheme, is proposed. Linguistic terms are employed to denote the performance of intangible criteria while information content is applied to determining the fuzzy performances of tangible criteria; with the fuzzy performances, A partial preference relation of design schemes is got by constructing fuzzy preference relations on single-criteria level. Then, global preference relation is achieved by aggregating the partial preference relation on level of every criteria. The orders of design schemes and the optimal scheme can thus be derived. A case study of high-speed chain stitch sewing machine is described to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.