A parallel particle swarm optimization algorithm for multi-objective optimization problems

In this article, a new proposal of using particle swarm optimization algorithms to solve multi-objective optimization problems is presented. The algorithm is constructed based on the concept of Pareto dominance, as well as a state-of-the-art ‘parallel’ computing technique that intends to improve algorithmic effectiveness and efficiency simultaneously. The proposed parallel particle swarm multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (PPS-MOEA) is tested through a variety of standard test functions taken from the literature; its performance is compared with six noted multi-objective algorithms. The computational experience gained from the first two experiments indicates that the algorithm proposed in this article is extremely competitive when compared with other MOEAs, being able to accurately, reliably and robustly approximate the true Pareto front in almost every tested case. To justify the motivation behind the research of the parallel swarm structure, the computational results of the third experiment confirm the PPS-MOEA's merit in solving really high-dimensional multi-objective optimization problems.     

Enhanced particle swarm optimization for size and shape optimization of truss structures

This article presents an enhanced particle swarm optimization (EPSO) algorithm for size and shape optimization of truss structures. The proposed EPSO introduces a particle categorization mechanism into the particle swarm optimization (PSO) to eliminate unnecessary structural analyses during the optimization process and improve the computational efficiency of the PSO-based structural optimization. The numerical investigation, including three benchmark truss optimization problems, examines the efficiency of the EPSO. The results demonstrate that the particle categorization mechanism greatly reduces the computational requirements of the PSO-based approaches while maintaining the original search capability of the algorithms in solving optimization problems with computationally cheap objective function and expensive constraints.     

Multi-objective optimization of engineering systems using game theory and particle swarm optimization

This study proposes particle swarm optimization (PSO) based algorithms to solve multi-objective engineering optimization problems involving continuous, discrete and/or mixed design variables. The original PSO algorithm is modified to include dynamic maximum velocity function and bounce method to enhance the computational efficiency and solution accuracy. The algorithm uses a closest discrete approach (CDA) to solve optimization problems with discrete design variables. A modified game theory (MGT) approach, coupled with the modified PSO, is used to solve multi-objective optimization problems. A dynamic penalty function is used to handle constraints in the optimization problem. The methodologies proposed are illustrated by several engineering applications and the results obtained are compared with those reported in the literature.     

A particle swarm optimizer for constrained multi-objective engineering design problems

This article presents a particle swarm optimizer (PSO) capable of handling constrained multi-objective optimization problems. The latter occur frequently in engineering design, especially when cost and performance are simultaneously optimized. The proposed algorithm combines the swarm intelligence fundamentals with elements from bio-inspired algorithms. A distinctive feature of the algorithm is the utilization of an arithmetic recombination operator, which allows interaction between non-dominated particles. Furthermore, there is no utilization of an external archive to store optimal solutions. The PSO algorithm is applied to multi-objective optimization benchmark problems and also to constrained multi-objective engineering design problems. The algorithmic effectiveness is demonstrated through comparisons of the PSO results with those obtained from other evolutionary optimization algorithms. The proposed particle swarm optimizer was able to perform in a very satisfactory manner in problems with multiple constraints and/or high dimensionality. Promising results were also obtained for a multi-objective engineering design problem with mixed variables.     

Particle swarm optimization approach for multi-objective composite box-beam design

This paper presents a multi-agent search technique to design an optimal composite box-beam helicopter rotor blade. The search technique is called particle swarm optimization (‘inspired by the choreography of a bird flock’). The continuous geometry parameters (cross-sectional dimensions) and discrete ply angles of the box-beams are considered as design variables. The objective of the design problem is to achieve (a) specified stiffness value and (b) maximum elastic coupling. The presence of maximum elastic coupling in the composite box-beam increases the aero-elastic stability of the helicopter rotor blade. The multi-objective design problem is formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem and solved collectively using particle swarm optimization technique. The optimal geometry and ply angles are obtained for a composite box-beam design with ply angle discretizations of 10°, 15° and 45°. The performance and computational efficiency of the proposed particle swarm optimization approach is compared with various genetic algorithm based design approaches. The simulation results clearly show that the particle swarm optimization algorithm provides better solutions in terms of performance and computational time than the genetic algorithm based approaches.     

Multi-objective feasibility enhanced particle swarm optimization

This article introduces a new method entitled multi-objective feasibility enhanced partical swarm optimization (MOFEPSO), to handle highly-constrained multi-objective optimization problems. MOFEPSO, which is based on the particle swarm optimization technique, employs repositories of non-dominated and feasible positions (or solutions) to guide feasible particle flight. Unlike its counterparts, MOFEPSO does not require any feasible solutions in the initialized swarm. Additionally, objective functions are not assessed for infeasible particles. Such particles can only fly along sensitive directions, and particles are not allowed to move to a position where any previously satisfied constraints become violated. These unique features help MOFEPSO gradually increase the overall feasibility of the swarm and to finally attain the optimal solution. In this study, multi-objective versions of a classical gear-train optimization problem are also described. For the given problems, the article comparatively evaluates the performance of MOFEPSO against several popular optimization algorithms found in the literature.     

基于粒子群与聚类的多目标优化算法

针对粒子群优化算法容易陷入局部最优的问题,提出了一种基于粒子群优化与分解聚类方法相结合的多目标优化算法。算法基于参考向量分解的方法,通过聚类优选粒子策略来更新全局最优解。首先,通过每条均匀分布的参考向量对粒子进行聚类操作,来促进粒子的多样性。从每个聚类中选择一个具有最小聚合函数适应度值的粒子,以平衡收敛性和多样性。动态更新全局最优解和个体最优解,引导种群均匀分布在帕累托前沿附近。通过仿真实验,与4种粒子群多目标优化算法进行对比。实验结果表明,提出的算法在27个选定的基准测试问题中获得了20个反世代距离(IGD)最优值。     

A divide-and-conquer strategy with particle swarm optimization for the job shop scheduling problem

An optimization algorithm based on the ‘divide-and-conquer’ methodology is proposed for solving large job shop scheduling problems with the objective of minimizing total weighted tardiness. The algorithm adopts a non-iterative framework. It first searches for a promising decomposition policy for the operation set by using a simulated annealing procedure in which the solutions are evaluated with reference to the upper bound and the lower bound of the final objective value. Subproblems are then constructed according to the output decomposition policy and each subproblem is related to a subset of operations from the original operation set. Subsequently, all these subproblems are sequentially solved by a particle swarm optimization algorithm, which leads directly to a feasible solution to the original large-scale scheduling problem. Numerical computational experiments are carried out for both randomly generated test problems and the real-world production data from a large speed-reducer factory in China. Results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve satisfactory solution quality within reasonable computational time for large-scale job shop scheduling problems.     

A surrogate-assisted particle swarm optimization algorithm based on efficient global optimization for expensive black-box problems

Evolutionary algorithms cannot effectively handle computationally expensive problems because of the unaffordable computational cost brought by a large number of fitness evaluations. Therefore, surrogates are widely used to assist evolutionary algorithms in solving these problems. This article proposes an improved surrogate-assisted particle swarm optimization (ISAPSO) algorithm, in which a hybrid particle swarm optimization (PSO) is combined with global and local surrogates. The global surrogate is not only used to predict fitness values for reducing computational burden but also regarded as a global searcher to speed up the global search process of PSO by using an efficient global optimization algorithm, while the local one is constructed for a local search in the neighbourhood of the current optimal solution by finding the predicted optimal solution of the local surrogate. Empirical studies on 10 widely used benchmark problems and a real-world structural design optimization problem of a driving axle show that the ISAPSO algorithm is effective and highly competitive.     

Swarm algorithms for single- and multi-objective optimization problems incorporating sensitivity analysis

Swarm algorithms such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) are non-gradient probabilistic optimization algorithms that have been successfully applied for global searches in complex problems such as multi-peak problems. However, application of these algorithms to structural and mechanical optimization problems still remains a complex matter since local optimization capability is still inferior to general numerical optimization methods. This article discusses new swarm metaphors that incorporate design sensitivities concerning objective and constraint functions and are applicable to structural and mechanical design optimization problems. Single- and multi-objective optimization techniques using swarm algorithms are combined with a gradient-based method. In the proposed techniques, swarm optimization algorithms and a sequential linear programming (SLP) method are conducted simultaneously. Finally, truss structure design optimization problems are solved by the proposed hybrid method to verify the optimization efficiency.     

Hybridization of genetic algorithm and fully informed particle swarm for solving the multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem

In this article, the genetic algorithm (GA) and fully informed particle swarm (FIPS) are hybridized for solving the multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem (MRCPSP) with minimization of project makespan as the objective subject to resource and precedence constraints. In the proposed hybrid genetic algorithm–fully informed particle swarm algorithm (HGFA), FIPS is a popular variant of the particle swarm optimization algorithm. A random key and the related mode list representation schemes are used as encoding schemes, and the multi-mode serial schedule generation scheme (MSSGS) is considered as the decoding procedure. Furthermore, the existing mode improvement procedure in the literature is modified. The results show that the proposed mode improvement procedure remarkably improves the project makespan. Comparing the results of the proposed HGFA with other approaches using the well-known PSPLIB benchmark sets validates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm to solve the MRCPSP.     

基于多目标粒子群协同算法的状态参数优化

针对铅锌烧结过程综合透气性、烧结终点的优化具有强非线性、计算复杂等特点,提出了一种有效的多目标粒子群协同优化算法。首先,建立了有综合透气性、烧结终点两个目标的优化模型。接着,通过改进的约束比较方法、粒子极值选取方法,以及利用不同的粒子群来分别优化相应的变量,提出了一种改进的多目标粒子群协同优化算法。最后,利用提出的多目标优化算法进行综合透气性、烧结终点的优化。仿真结果表明,所提出的多目标优化算法能较好地解决综合透气性、烧结终点的优化问题。     

Hybridizing evolutionary strategies with continuation methods for solving multi-objective problems

Two techniques for the numerical treatment of multi-objective optimization problems—a continuation method and a particle swarm optimizer—are combined in order to unite their particular advantages. Continuation methods can be applied very efficiently to perform the search along the Pareto set, even for high-dimensional models, but are of local nature. In contrast, many multi-objective particle swarm optimizers tend to have slow convergence, but instead accomplish the ‘global task’ well. An algorithm which combines these two techniques is proposed, some convergence results for continuous models are provided, possible realizations are discussed, and finally some numerical results are presented indicating the strength of this novel approach.     

Solving constrained optimization problems with a hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm

This article presents a particle swarm optimization algorithm for solving general constrained optimization problems. The proposed approach introduces different methods to update the particle's information, as well as the use of a double population and a special shake mechanism designed to avoid premature convergence. It also incorporates a simple constraint-handling technique. Twenty-four constrained optimization problems commonly adopted in the evolutionary optimization literature, as well as some structural optimization problems are adopted to validate the proposed approach. The results obtained by the proposed approach are compared with respect to those generated by algorithms representative of the state of the art in the area.     

基于信息熵改进的粒子群算法在桁架结构

提出了信息熵改进的粒子群优化算法用于解决有应力约束、位移约束的桁架结构杆件截面尺寸优化设计问题.首先介绍了信息熵基本理论和基本粒子群优化算法理论,然后对粒子群优化算法作了合理的参数设置,并将信息熵引入粒子群优化算法的适应函数和停机判别准则中.最后对2个经典的优化问题进行求解并与其他算法进行了比较.数据结果表明信息熵改进后的粒子群优化算法在桁架结构优化设计中优于其他同类算法.     

Multi-objective hierarchical genetic algorithms for multilevel redundancy allocation optimization

Multilevel redundancy allocation optimization problems (MRAOPs) occur frequently when attempting to maximize the system reliability of a hierarchical system, and almost all complex engineering systems are hierarchical. Despite their practical significance, limited research has been done concerning the solving of simple MRAOPs. These problems are not only NP hard but also involve hierarchical design variables. Genetic algorithms (GAs) have been applied in solving MRAOPs, since they are computationally efficient in solving such problems, unlike exact methods, but their applications has been confined to single-objective formulation of MRAOPs. This paper proposes a multi-objective formulation of MRAOPs and a methodology for solving such problems. In this methodology, a hierarchical GA framework for multi-objective optimization is proposed by introducing hierarchical genotype encoding for design variables. In addition, we implement the proposed approach by integrating the hierarchical genotype encoding scheme with two popular multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGAs)—the strength Pareto evolutionary genetic algorithm (SPEA2) and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). In the provided numerical examples, the proposed multi-objective hierarchical approach is applied to solve two hierarchical MRAOPs, a 4- and a 3-level problems. The proposed method is compared with a single-objective optimization method that uses a hierarchical genetic algorithm (HGA), also applied to solve the 3- and 4-level problems. The results show that a multi-objective hierarchical GA (MOHGA) that includes elitism and mechanism for diversity preserving performed better than a single-objective GA that only uses elitism, when solving large-scale MRAOPs. Additionally, the experimental results show that the proposed method with NSGA-II outperformed the proposed method with SPEA2 in finding useful Pareto optimal solution sets.     

Hybridization of ABC and PSO algorithms for improved solutions of RCPSP

A resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) is one of the most famous intractable NP-hard problems in the operational research area in terms of its practical value and research significance. To effectively solve the RCPSP, we propose a hybrid approach by integrating artificial bee colony (ABC) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms. Moreover, a novel structure of ABC-PSO is devised based on embedded ABC-PSO (EABC-PSO) and sequential ABC-PSO (SABC-PSO) strategies. The EABC-PSO strategy mainly applies the PSO algorithm to update the process of the ABC algorithm while the SABC-PSO strategy demonstrates an approach in which computational results obtained from the ABC algorithm are further improved based on the PSO algorithm. In both strategies, bees in the ABC process are entitled to learning capacity from the best local and global solutions in terms of the PSO concept. Subsequently, the updates of solutions are premeditated with crossover and insert operators together with double justification methods. Computational results obtained from the tests on benchmark sets show that the proposed ABC-PSO algorithm is efficient in solving RCPSP problems, demonstrating clear advantages over the pure ABC algorithm, the PSO algorithm, and a number of listed heuristics.     

求解连续空间优化问题的扩展粒子蚁群算法

扩展蚁群算法是蚁群算法创始人Dorigo提出的一种用于求解连续空间优化问题的最新蚁群算法,但该算法的收敛速度参数和局部搜索参数取值缺乏理论指导,因此其性能受算法参数影响较大.本文提出一种求解连续空间优化的扩展粒子蚁群算法,将粒子群算法嵌入到扩展蚁群算法中用于在线优化扩展蚁群算法参数,减少了参数人为调整的盲目性.从而改善扩展蚁群算法的寻径行为.通过将本文提出的算法与遗传算法、克隆选择算法、蚁群算法、扩展蚁群算法对5种典型测试函数优化的结果对比表明,本文算法在搜索速度和全局搜索能力方面均优于其它算法.     

Solving initial and boundary value problems using learning automata particle swarm optimization

In this article, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is modified to use the learning automata (LA) technique for solving initial and boundary value problems. A constrained problem is converted into an unconstrained problem using a penalty method to define an appropriate fitness function, which is optimized using the LA-PSO method. This method analyses a large number of candidate solutions of the unconstrained problem with the LA-PSO algorithm to minimize an error measure, which quantifies how well a candidate solution satisfies the governing ordinary differential equations (ODEs) or partial differential equations (PDEs) and the boundary conditions. This approach is very capable of solving linear and nonlinear ODEs, systems of ordinary differential equations, and linear and nonlinear PDEs. The computational efficiency and accuracy of the PSO algorithm combined with the LA technique for solving initial and boundary value problems were improved. Numerical results demonstrate the high accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.     

VIS: An artificial immune network for multi-objective optimization

The aim of this work is to propose and validate a novel multi-objective optimization algorithm based on the emulation of the behaviour of the immune system. The rationale of this work is that the artificial immune system has, in its elementary structure, the main features required by other multi-objective evolutionary algorithms described in the literature, such as diversity preservation, memory, adaptivity, and elitism. The proposed approach is compared with three multi-objective evolutionary algorithms that are representative of the state of the art in multi-objective optimization. Algorithms are tested on six standard problems (both unconstrained and constrained) and comparisons are carried out using three different metrics. Results show that the proposed approach has very good performances and can become a valid alternative to standard algorithms for solving multi-objective optimization problems.