Application of Fuzzy Hybrid Analytic Network Process in Equipment Selection of Open-Pit Metal Mines

Equipment selection is one of the most important aspects of open pit design. The selection of equipment for mining applications is not a well-defined process and because it involves the interaction of several subjective factors or criteria, decisions are often complicated and may even embody contradictions. The aim of this study is introducing a multi-criteria decision making method for selecting the most appropriate combination of drilling, loading and haulage equipment using a state of the art comprehensive model. The proposed method consists of two stages, first is determining the weight of each criteria which affects the decision using fuzzy analytic network process (FANP), the next step is calculating the score of each possible combination of mining equipment using Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The proposed methodology is applied for Sungun copper mine which is the largest open-cast copper mine in Iran and is among the most important copper deposits in Middle East and finally the most appropriate combination of mining equipment is determined for this open-pit mine.