ARAS method based on Z-numbers in FMEA

Abstract

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is one of the risk assessment methods, and is widely applied to the various areas in real life. The method has two main phases. In the first phase, the potential failure modes of products, processes, systems, and services are determined, whereas in the second phase, the risk assessment and prioritization of these failure modes are made, and preventive and corrective actions are taken to prevent the emergence of failure modes with relatively higher risk. Although the method is widely used over the years, researchers have used FMEA together with different theories and methods to overcome several shortcomings of the method. In this study, a new method, Z-ARAS (Additive Ratio ASsessment), is proposed on a risk analysis in FMEA to eliminate uncertainty information in decision-making practice. This method is the modification of ARAS method by integrating with Z-numbers. Z-numbers are performed to reflect the reliability of decision makers' evaluations. A real case covering a cable company's production failures that is adopted from the literature is solved to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method. A sensitivity analysis is performed, and also a comparative analysis is presented with Z-MARCOS (Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to the COmpromise Solution) and Z-CODAS (COmbinative Distance-based ASsessment) methods to highlight the effectiveness of Z-ARAS method. It can be concluded that Z-ARAS is an alternative method to detect and analyze critical failure modes, and assist decision makers in implementing a reliable preventive strategy.