فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

The uncertainty inherent in real-world problems is a critical concern in decision-making processes. The limitations of classical set theory in handling qualitative data are effectively addressed through fuzzy set theory. In fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) frameworks, data sets are frequently modeled using fuzzy numbers (FNs), necessitating a consistent FN ordering methodology. This paper introduces a novel distance-based measure to rank generalized FNs, overcoming the restriction of similar existing techniques to normal FNs. A weighted interval number (IN) metric is introduced and applied to FN α-cuts to compute fuzzy distances among FNs partitioned into classes of equal height. These distances are employed to construct an FN ranking measure by evaluating each FN’s proximity to a referential FN assigned to its respective class. To address cases of indiscrimination, the ranking measure further incorporates mode-support norms in a convex combination using relative crossover points and height, thereby establishing a comprehensive ranking methodology. The proposed approach is validated through numerical examples and a comparative analysis with existing techniques. Furthermore, this study identifies the shortcomings of the GTrFN-CoCoSo method of Bihari et al. (Expert Syst Appl 255B: 124612, 2024 [41]) and presents for the first time an original fuzzy version of the classical CoCoFISo approach of Rasoanaivo et al. (Expert Syst Appl 251: 124079, 2024 [65]), the fuzzy combined compromise for ideal solution method (F-CoCoFISo) along with a comparative time complexity analysis of the methods. A case study on product line selection for a handloom cooperative demonstrates the approach’s efficacy, and its performance is validated through sensitivity analysis.