PSI - Issue 72

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 72 (2025) 507–519

12th Annual Conference of Society for Structural Integrity and Life (DIVK12) A Neutrosophic TOPSIS Framework for multi-criteria selection of Functionally Graded Materials Ruhit Bardhan a , Dharmik Chauhan b , Manoj Sahni b, * a Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Teacher Education (IITE), Gandhinagar, 382016, Gujarat India rmbardhan.tripurauniv@gmail.com b Department of Mathematics, School of Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Raysan-382426, Gujarat, India chauhandb1998@gmail.com, manojsahani117@gmail.com Abstract This research introduces a novel approach for the selection of Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) using a modified TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method within a neutrosophic framework. FGMs represent an advanced class of composite materials with gradually varying properties across their dimensions, making their selection a complex multi-criteria decision-making problem. The neutrosophic set theory addresses uncertainty, imprecision, and indeterminacy inherent in expert evaluations and technical specifications. Our framework incorporates truth, indeterminacy, and falsity membership functions to represent decision parameters comprehensively. The methodology is validated through a case study involving the selection of FGMs for high-temperature aerospace applications, considering criteria such as thermal resistance, mechanical properties, manufacturing complexity, and cost-effectiveness. Results demonstrate that the proposed neutrosophic TOPSIS framework offers improved discrimination power and robustness compared to conventional TOPSIS and fuzzy TOPSIS methods. Sensitivity analysis confirms the stability of the ranking outcomes under varying criteria weights. This approach provides materials engineers and designers with a reliable decision support tool for selecting optimal FGM compositions tailored to specific application requirements. © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Aleksandar Sedmak, Branislav Djordjevic, Simon Sedmak Dr. Simon Sedmak, ssedmak@mas.bg.ac.rs, Innovation Center of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia

Keywords: Aerospace application; Functionally graded material; Material Selection; Multi-criteria decision- making; Neutrosophic sets; TOPSIS

* Corresponding author. Prof. Manoj Sahni, Tel.:+91- 787-444-1820. E-mail address: manojsahani117@gmail.com.

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of Aleksandar Sedmak, Branislav Djordjevic, Simon Sedmak Dr. Simon Sedmak, ssedmak@mas.bg.ac.rs, Innovation Center of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia 10.1016/j.prostr.2025.08.133