Welding process selection for repairing nodular cast iron engine block by integrated fuzzy data envelopment analysis and TOPSIS approaches

What is it about?

Metal welding process selection calls for extensive know-how which deals with a huge amount of knowledge. Hence, the automation of knowledge through a knowledge-based system will greatly enhance the decision-making process. A combined fuzzy data envelopment analysis (DEA) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) investigates the relative welding process selection factors and it can compare and evaluate different welding processes between 0 and 1. The objective of this paper is to present a methodology for welding process selection. The proposed approach is used for ranking eleven welding processes which are commonly used for repairing nodular cast iron engine block in four cases and it is shown that the approach is sensitive to changes in dataset.

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Why is it important?

Engine block crack repairing has become one of today's hottest topics. Also, it may be carried out in the field only under great emergency conditions for example power plants in oil mining and where replacement of a new engine block is not accessible, in the other word, mounting of a new engine block needs more time and cost than engine block crack repairing. Cast irons are used widely by designers and welding of nodular cast iron has investigated. There have always been several welding process for repairing cracks in cast iron but which of them is the best. Optimization and selection of the welding process has been done by a few researchers via different approaches but none of them have been done to select welding process for crack repairing of nodular cast iron engine block.