Robust multiattribute decision making under risk and uncertainty in engineering design

In this article, the problem of choosing from a set of design alternatives based upon multiple, conflicting, and uncertain criteria is investigated. The problem of selection over multiple attributes becomes harder when risky alternatives exist. The overlap measure method developed in this article models two sources of uncertainties – imprecise or risky attribute values provided to the decision maker and inabilities of the decision-maker to specify an exact desirable attribute value. Effects of these uncertainties are mitigated using the overlap measure metric. A subroutine to this method, called the robust alternative selection method, ensures that the winning alternative is insensitive to changes in the relative importance of the different design attributes. The overlap measure method can be used to model and handle various sources of uncertainties and can be applied to any number of multiattribute decision-making methods. In this article, it is applied to the hypothetical equivalents and inequivalents method, which is a multiattribute selection method under certainty.