Granulized Z-VIKOR Model for Failure Mode and Effect Analysis

In this article, 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 and comparative analysis is carried out to demonstrate the applicability, effectiveness, and robustness of the proposed model, as well as its superiority to existing models.