Granulized Z-VIKOR Model for Failure Mode and Effect Analysis

In this study, we have developed an improved failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) model by leveraging the concepts of Z-number, rough number (RN), and probabilistic distance measure. Two new concepts, namely, double upper approximated rough number (DUARN) and granulized Z-number (gZN), a new scheme for measuring distance between two gZNs using weighted similarity and average linkage method, a new risk prioritization model, named, granulized Z-VIKOR, and a scheme for uncertainty assessment using box-plot are proposed. DUARN embodies the notion of double sided upper approximation of an ordinal decision class. gZN is developed using Z-number and DUARN. The distance between two gZNs is computed using the maximum entropy principle that captures the relationship between the A (opinion) and B (reliability of A) parts of gZN. The granulized Z-VIKOR involves synergistic integration of gZN and VIKOR. Both objective and subjective risk measures are computed and a combined risk measure is defined, which considers the interactions among the risk criteria using λ-Shapley index. Two case studies are conducted. Sensitivity & comparative analysis is carried out to demonstrate the applicability, effectiveness and robustness of the proposed model, as well as its superiority to existing models.