Evaluation of Factors Affecting the Impregnability of Wood by Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

In this study, the factors affecting the impregnability of wood were evaluated by fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). In this context, only water-soluble impregnates and pressurized/ vacuum impregnation technique were discussed. First of all, an analytic hierarchy process has been established and a questionnaire has been prepared with double comparisons of the criteria mentioned in the process. The questionnaire questions were answered by experts in the field. The answers were translated into fuzzy numbers and consistency analysis was performed. After the results were determined to be consistent with the results obtained from the experts, all responses were evaluated according to Buckley method. Fuzzy and normalized weights of all major and sub-criteria were calculated. In addition, all sub-criteria were balanced and their normalized weights were calculated with the relative real values. At the end of the study, the anatomical properties of the wood and the conditions of impregnation were found to be factors the most affecting the impregnability of wood among the main criteria. The significance levels found are general and may vary for each impregnation process; however, it has been concluded that the BAHP method can be applied to many areas in the forest industrial engineering discipline