A Z-number extension of the hybrid Analytic Hierarchy Process - Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis for risk assessment

The hybrid Analytic Hierarchy Process-Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis is commonly used in solving Multiple Criteria Decision Making problems to cater for the uncertainty and subjectivity of human judgments. However, the use of Z-number in hybrid techniques is a new research area. Hence, the study on the impact and feasibility of Z-number extension has not been fully investigated. The main objective of this paper is to present an extension of Analytic Hierarchy Process-Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis method using Z-number. Two different multiplication relation operations were used to convert fuzzy numbers into Z-numbers by integrating the reliability component R̃ into the restriction component ς. The next step is to integrate the criteria weights into Z- Data Envelopment Analysis process. A numerical example is given to illustrate the application of the proposed Analytic Hierarchy Process-Z-Number Data Envelopment Analysis methodology in ranking the risk priority of 20 bridge structures. The results showed that it is highly feasible to use the proposed hybrid Analytic Hierarchy Process-Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis in risk ranking. This information is very useful for improving characteristics of the alternatives understudied.