Evolutionary Algorithm Integrating Stress Heuristics for Truss Optimization

The optimal truss design using problem-oriented evolutionary algorithm is presented in the paper. The minimum weight structures subjected to stress and displacement constraints are searched. The discrete design variables are areas of members, selected from catalogues of available sections. The integration of the problem specific knowledge into the optimization procedure is proposed. The heuristic rules based on the concept of fully stressed design are introduced through special genetic operators, which use the information concerning the stress distribution of structural members. Moreover, approximated solutions obtained by deterministic, sequential discrete optimization methods are inserted into the initial population. The obtained hybrid evolutionary algorithm is specialized for truss design. Benchmark problems are calculated in numerical examples. The knowledge about the problem integrated into the evolutionary algorithm can enhance considerably the effectiveness of the approach and improve significantly the convergence rate and the quality of the results. The advantages and drawbacks of the proposed method are discussed.     

Simultaneous topology,shape and size optimization of truss structures by fully stressed design based on evolution strategy

The most effective scheme of truss optimization considers the combined effect of topology, shape and size (TSS); however, most available studies on truss optimization by metaheuristics concentrated on one or two of the above aspects. The presence of diverse design variables and constraints in TSS optimization may account for such limited applicability of metaheuristics to this field. In this article, a recently proposed algorithm for simultaneous shape and size optimization, fully stressed design based on evolution strategy (FSD-ES), is enhanced to handle TSS optimization problems. FSD-ES combines advantages of the well-known deterministic approach of fully stressed design with potential global search of the state-of-the-art evolution strategy. A comparison of results demonstrates that the proposed optimizer reaches the same or similar solutions faster and/or is able to find lighter designs than those previously reported in the literature. Moreover, the proposed variant of FSD-ES requires no user-based tuning effort, which is desired in a practical application. The proposed methodology has been tested on a number of problems and is now ready to be applied to more complex TSS problems.     

Handling constraints using multiobjective optimization concepts

In this paper, we propose a new constraint‐handling technique for evolutionary algorithms which we call inverted‐shrinkable PAES (IS‐PAES). This approach combines the use of multiobjective optimization concepts with a mechanism that focuses the search effort onto specific areas of the feasible region by shrinking the constrained search space. IS‐PAES also uses an adaptive grid to store the solutions found, but has a more efficient memory‐management scheme than its ancestor (the Pareto archived evolution strategy for multiobjective optimization). The proposed approach is validated using several examples taken from the standard evolutionary and engineering optimization literature. Comparisons are provided with respect to the stochastic ranking method (one of the most competitive constraint‐handling approaches used with evolutionary algorithms currently available) and with respect to other four multiobjective‐based constraint‐handling techniques. Copyright© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A global single-loop deterministic approach for reliability-based design optimization of truss structures with continuous and discrete design variables

A single-loop deterministic method (SLDM) has previously been proposed for solving reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) problems. In SLDM, probabilistic constraints are converted to approximate deterministic constraints. Consequently, RBDO problems can be transformed into approximate deterministic optimization problems, and hence the computational cost of solving such problems is reduced significantly. However, SLDM is limited to continuous design variables, and the obtained solutions are often trapped into local extrema. To overcome these two disadvantages, a global single-loop deterministic approach is developed in this article, and then it is applied to solve the RBDO problems of truss structures with both continuous and discrete design variables. The proposed approach is a combination of SLDM and improved differential evolution (IDE). The IDE algorithm is an improved version of the original differential evolution (DE) algorithm with two improvements: a roulette wheel selection with stochastic acceptance and an elitist selection technique. These improvements are applied to the mutation and selection phases of DE to enhance its convergence rate and accuracy. To demonstrate the reliability, efficiency and applicability of the proposed method, three numerical examples are executed, and the obtained results are compared with those available in the literature.     

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.     

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.     

Chemical process dynamic optimization based on the differential evolution algorithm with an adaptive scheduling mutation strategy

To solve chemical process dynamic optimization problems, a differential evolution algorithm integrated with adaptive scheduling mutation strategy (ASDE) is proposed. According to the evolution feedback information, ASDE, with adaptive control parameters, adopts the round-robin scheduling algorithm to adaptively schedule different mutation strategies. By employing an adaptive mutation strategy and control parameters, the real-time optimal control parameters and mutation strategy are obtained to improve the optimization performance. The performance of ASDE is evaluated using a suite of 14 benchmark functions. The results demonstrate that ASDE performs better than four conventional differential evolution (DE) algorithm variants with different mutation strategies, and that the whole performance of ASDE is equivalent to a self-adaptive DE algorithm variant and better than five conventional DE algorithm variants. Furthermore, ASDE was applied to solve a typical dynamic optimization problem of a chemical process. The obtained results indicate that ASDE is a feasible and competitive optimizer for this kind of problem.     

Aerodynamic optimization using a parallel asynchronous evolutionary algorithm controlled by strongly interacting demes

A parallel asynchronous evolutionary algorithm controlled by strongly interacting demes for single- and multi-objective optimization problems is proposed. It is suitable even for non-homogeneous, multiprocessor systems, ensuring maximum exploitation of the available processors. The search algorithm utilizes a structured topology of evaluation agents organized in a number of inter-communicating demes arranged on a 2D supporting mesh. Once an evaluation terminates and a processor becomes idle, a series of intra- and inter-deme processes determines the next agent to undergo evaluation on this specific processor. Real coding and differential evolution operators are used. Mathematical and aerodynamic-turbomachinery optimization problems are presented to assess the proposed method in terms of CPU cost, parallel efficiency and quality of solutions obtained within a predefined number of evaluations. Comparisons with conventional evolutionary algorithms, parallelized based on the master–slave model on the same computational platform, are presented.     

Grey wolf optimizer and hybrid PSO-GWO for reliability optimization and redundancy allocation problem

Analysis and optimization of system reliability have very much importance for developing an optimal design for the system while using the available resources. Several studies are centered towards reliability optimization using metaheuristics. In this study, a recently developed metaheuristic optimization algorithm called hybrid PSO-GWO (HPSGWO) to solve the reliability-redundancy optimization problem has been proposed. The HPSGWO fuses the Particle Swarm Optimization's (PSO) exploitation ability with the grey wolf optimizer's (GWO) exploration ability. The comparison of results with prior best results of PSO and GWO for the four benchmarks of reliability redundancy allocation problem demonstrates the HPSGWO as a productive enhancement strategy since it got promising answers than other metaheuristic algorithms.     

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.     

Engineering optimization using a real-parameter genetic-algorithm-based hybrid method

A hybrid optimization algorithm which combines the respective merits of the genetic algorithm and the simulated annealing algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm incorporates adaptive mechanisms designed to adjust the probabilities of the cross-over and mutation operators such that its hill-climbing ability towards the optimum solution is improved. The algorithm is used to optimize the weight of four planar or space truss structures and the results are compared with those obtained using other well-known optimization schemes. The evaluation trials investigate the performance of the algorithm in optimizing over discrete sizing variables only and over both discrete sizing variables and continuous configuration variables. The results show that the proposed algorithm consistently outperforms the other optimization methods in terms of its weight-saving capabilities. It is also shown that the global searching ability and convergence speed of the proposed algorithm are significantly improved by the inclusion of adaptive mechanisms to adjust the values of the genetic operators. Hence the hybrid algorithm provides an efficient and robust technique for solving engineering design optimization problems.     

Two efficient algorithms for constructing almost even approximations of the Pareto front in multi-objective optimization problems

In this article, two algorithms are proposed for constructing almost even approximations of the Pareto front of multi-objective optimization problems. The first algorithm is a hybrid of the ε-constraint and Pascoletti–Serafini scalarization methods for solving bi-objective problems. The second is a modification of the successive Pareto optimization (SPO) algorithm for solving three-objective problems. In these algorithms, the MATLAB fmincon solver is used to solve single-objective optimization problems, which returns a local optimal solution. Some metrics are considered to evaluate the quality of approximations obtained by the suggested algorithms on six test problems, and their results are compared with other algorithms (normal constraint, weighted constraint, SPO, differential evolution, multi-objective evolutionary algorithm/decomposition–differential evolution, non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II and S-metric selection evolutionary multi-objective algorithm). Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms provide almost even approximations of the whole Pareto front, and better quality of approximation and CPU time compared with established algorithms.     

基于改进灰狼算法的啤酒灌装PID液位控制

目的 针对啤酒罐装液位控制存在的变负荷、多模态、PID参数整定难的问题,提出一种基于改进灰狼算法的PID参数整定方法,以提高啤酒生产的工作效率。方法 对灰狼算法进行改进,使用欧式距离变化率动态调整收敛因子,平衡算法的全局搜索能力;引入动态自适应权重因子,提高算法的优化速度和精度;与基本灰狼算法比较并用测试函数验证改进算法的性能。结果 仿真结果表明,改进后的灰狼算法在收敛速度和精度上提升效果显著;改进灰狼算法整定的PID参数的上升时间为1.9s,调节时间为5.12 s,超调量为3.78%。结论 与基本灰狼算法对比,改进灰狼算法对啤酒灌装液位PID参数进行整定,调节时间快,超调较小,可以更好地满足啤酒生产的控制要求。     

A hybrid cellular automaton–bi-directional evolutionary optimization algorithm for topological optimization of crashworthiness

This article proposes a new algorithm for topological optimization under dynamic loading which combines cellular automata with bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO). The local rules of cellular automata are used to update the design variables, which avoids the difficulty of obtaining gradient information under nonlinear collision conditions. The intermediate-density design problem of hybrid cellular automata is solved using the BESO concept of 0–1 binary discrete variables. Some improvement strategies are also proposed for the hybrid algorithm to solve certain problems in nonlinear topological optimization, e.g. numerical oscillation. Some typical examples of crashworthiness problems are provided to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method and its ability to find the final optimal solution. Finally, numerical results obtained using the proposed algorithms are compared with reference examples taken from the literature. The results show that the hybrid method is computationally efficient and stable.     

Evolutionary reliable regional Kriging surrogate for expensive optimization

This work proposes a sequential optimization algorithm, EORKS, combining a Kriging surrogate from an adaptive sampling and an iterative constrained search in the dynamic reliable regions to reduce the sampling size in expensive optimization. A surrogate established from small samples is liable to limited generality, which leads to a false prediction of optimum. EORKS applies Kriging variance to establish the reliable region neighbouring the learning samples to constrain the evolutionary searches of the surrogate. The verified quasi-optimum is used as an additional sample to dynamically update the regional model according to the prediction accuracy. A hybrid infilling strategy switches between the iterative quasi-optima and the maximum expected improvement from Kriging to prevent early convergence of local optimum. EORKS provides superior optima in several benchmark functions and an engineering design problem, using much smaller samples compared with the literature results, which demonstrates the sampling efficiency and searching robustness.     

A local-best harmony search algorithm with dynamic subpopulations

This article presents a local-best harmony search algorithm with dynamic subpopulations (DLHS) for solving the bound-constrained continuous optimization problems. Unlike existing harmony search algorithms, the DLHS algorithm divides the whole harmony memory (HM) into many small-sized sub-HMs and the evolution is performed in each sub-HM independently. To maintain the diversity of the population and to improve the accuracy of the final solution, information exchange among the sub-HMs is achieved by using a periodic regrouping schedule. Furthermore, a novel harmony improvisation scheme is employed to benefit from good information captured in the local best harmony vector. In addition, an adaptive strategy is developed to adjust the parameters to suit the particular problems or the particular phases of search process. Extensive computational simulations and comparisons are carried out by employing a set of 16 benchmark problems from the literature. The computational results show that, overall, the proposed DLHS algorithm is more effective or at least competitive in finding near-optimal solutions compared with state-of-the-art harmony search variants.     

Hybrid real-code population-based incremental learning and approximate gradients for multi-objective truss design

In this article, real-code population-based incremental learning (RPBIL) is extended for multi-objective optimization. The optimizer search performance is then improved by integrating a mutation operator of evolution strategies and an approximate gradient into its computational procedure. RPBIL and its variants, along with a number of established multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, are then implemented to solve four multi-objective design problems of trusses. The design problems are posted to minimize structural mass and compliance while fulfilling stress constraints. The comparative results based on a hypervolume indicator show that the proposed hybrid RPBIL is the best performer for the large-scale truss design problems.     

An evolutionary algorithm for global optimization based on self-organizing maps

In this article, a new population-based algorithm for real-parameter global optimization is presented, which is denoted as self-organizing centroids optimization (SOC-opt). The proposed method uses a stochastic approach which is based on the sequential learning paradigm for self-organizing maps (SOMs). A modified version of the SOM is proposed where each cell contains an individual, which performs a search for a locally optimal solution and it is affected by the search for a global optimum. The movement of the individuals in the search space is based on a discrete-time dynamic filter, and various choices of this filter are possible to obtain different dynamics of the centroids. In this way, a general framework is defined where well-known algorithms represent a particular case. The proposed algorithm is validated through a set of problems, which include non-separable problems, and compared with state-of-the-art algorithms for global optimization.     

An efficient approach for reliability-based topology optimization

This article presents an efficient approach for reliability-based topology optimization (RBTO) in which the computational effort involved in solving the RBTO problem is equivalent to that of solving a deterministic topology optimization (DTO) problem. The methodology presented is built upon the bidirectional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) method used for solving the deterministic optimization problem. The proposed method is suitable for linear elastic problems with independent and normally distributed loads, subjected to deflection and reliability constraints. The linear relationship between the deflection and stiffness matrices along with the principle of superposition are exploited to handle reliability constraints to develop an efficient algorithm for solving RBTO problems. Four example problems with various random variables and single or multiple applied loads are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach in solving RBTO problems. The major contribution of this article comes from the improved efficiency of the proposed algorithm when measured in terms of the computational effort involved in the finite element analysis runs required to compute the optimum solution. For the examples presented with a single applied load, it is shown that the CPU time required in computing the optimum solution for the RBTO problem is 15–30% less than the time required to solve the DTO problems. The improved computational efficiency allows for incorporation of reliability considerations in topology optimization without an increase in the computational time needed to solve the DTO problem.     

Optimization of truss bridges within a specified design domain using evolution strategies

This article reports and investigates the application of evolution strategies (ESs) to optimize the design of truss bridges. This is a challenging optimization problem associated with mixed design variables, since it involves identification of the bridge’s shape and topology configurations in addition to the sizing of the structural members for minimum weight. A solution algorithm to this problem is developed by combining different variable-wise versions of adaptive ESs under a common optimization routine. In this regard, size and shape optimizations are implemented using discrete and continuous ESs, respectively, while topology optimization is achieved through a discrete version coupled with a particular methodology for generating topological variations. In the study, a design domain approach is employed in conjunction with ESs to seek the optimal shape and topology configuration of a bridge in a large and flexible design space. It is shown that the resulting algorithm performs very well and produces improved results for the problems of interest.