Approach to solving mining machine selection problem by using grey theory

The selection of a mining machine is a multiple-attribute problem that involves the consideration of numerous parameters of various origins. A common task in the mining industry is to select the best machine among several alternatives, which are frequently described both with numerical variables as well as linguistic variables. Numerical variables are mostly related to the technical characteristics of the machines, which are available in detail in most cases. On the other hand, some equally important parameters such as price, reliability, support for service and spare parts, operating cost, etc., are not available at the required level for various reasons; hence, these can be considered uncertain information. For this reason, such information is described with linguistic variables. This paper presents research related to overcoming this problem by using grey theory for selecting a proper mining machine. Grey theory is a well-known method used for multiple-attribute selection problems that involves a system in which parts of the necessary information are known and parts are unknown.