Retaining Structure Selection with Unequal Fuzzy Project-Level Objectives

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Adams, Teresa M.

Affiliations: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706

Abstract: Multiobjective decisions are frequently required for planning and managing highway construction projects. One example is the selection of an earth retaining structure. This article presents a case-by-case comparison of two multiobjective decision methods for selecting a retaining wall type from a set of possible alternatives given a finite set of selection criteria of concern to the decision maker. The first method is a weighting technique. The second method is based on fuzzy logic. The methods are compared according to agreement of outcome, sensitivity to changes in the importance of the selection criteria, and sensitivity to changes in the degree to which each alternative satisfies the criteria. Results indicate superior performance of the fuzzy method for retaining wall selection.

DOI: 10.3233/IFS-1994-2305

Journal: Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 251-265, 1994