Analytical hierarchy process for selection of roadheaders by

In order to make correct decisions, effective methods are required in many operation processes in industry. The decisions vary from choosing machines to the production method. Today, as a result of effective communication, the increase of information has led to the exposure of decision-makers to complex system elements having many variables. In such cases the decision-makers have to make decisions by using appropriate algorithms and methods. Since there are more ambiguities and risk in disciplines such as mining and geology, decision-making methods, which evaluate the uncertain information and opinion of experts, are needed. Decision-making means the process of ‘making an appropriate choice from options in order to realize one or more aims’1. There have been many studies about decision-making algorithms and methods in recent years. The general tendency of the studies is towards multiple attributes (criteria) decision-making (MADM) and multiple objective decisionmaking (MODM) methods. While MADM is based on determining the most appropriate alternative from the options considering multiple and conflicting criteria for realizing only one aim, MODM tries to determine the most appropriate option for realizing a set of conflicting aims2,3. In recent years fuzzy multiple attributes decision-making (FMADM), in which the fuzzy logic method is used, has also been used4,5. Driving of the galleries/tunnels is an important operation in mining and construction sectors and directly affects the efficiency of production. Mechanization is becoming widespread in excavation operations today. Mechanical excavation methods are faster and more reliable than the conventional methods. After a certain length of tunnel, the costs of the mechanical excavation decrease sharply6,7. However, these advantages can be acquired only if the right machine is selected. If the expected performance is not acquired from the machines, the costs will be much more than that of the drilling and blasting method. Using some decision-making methods to choose a machine can prevent many of the problems faced in the future. In this study, the opportunity to use multi-criteria decisionmaking in the selection of excavation machines such as roadheaders has been researched. Excavation machines are generally classified as full face and partial face machines according to the contact between the surface to be excavated and the cutting part of the machine. The roadheader, which is one of the partial face excavation machines, is being used widely in underground mining and tunnelling projects. A roadheader can be used for all types of gallery sizes and shapes. In addition, it is cheaper, its maintenance is easier than Analytical hierarchy process for selection of roadheaders