Hybrid multi-objective shape design optimization using Taguchi’s method and genetic algorithm

This research is based on a new hybrid approach, which deals with the improvement of shape optimization process. The objective is to contribute to the development of more efficient shape optimization approaches in an integrated optimal topology and shape optimization area with the help of genetic algorithms and robustness issues. An improved genetic algorithm is introduced to solve multi-objective shape design optimization problems. The specific issue of this research is to overcome the limitations caused by larger population of solutions in the pure multi-objective genetic algorithm. The combination of genetic algorithm with robust parameter design through a smaller population of individuals results in a solution that leads to better parameter values for design optimization problems. The effectiveness of the proposed hybrid approach is illustrated and evaluated with test problems taken from literature. It is also shown that the proposed approach can be used as first stage in other multi-objective genetic algorithms to enhance the performance of genetic algorithms. Finally, the shape optimization of a vehicle component is presented to illustrate how the present approach can be applied for solving multi-objective shape design optimization problems.     

The improvement of glowworm swarm optimization for continuous optimization problems

Glowworm swarm optimization (GSO) algorithm is the one of the newest nature inspired heuristics for optimization problems. In order to enhances accuracy and convergence rate of the GSO, two strategies about the movement phase of GSO are proposed. One is the greedy acceptance criteria for the glowworms update their position one-dimension by one-dimension. The other is the new movement formulas which are inspired by artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). To compare and analyze the performance of our proposed improvement GSO, a number of experiments are carried out on a set of well-known benchmark global optimization problems. The effects of the parameters about the improvement algorithms are discussed by uniform design experiment. Numerical results reveal that the proposed algorithms can find better solutions when compared to classical GSO and other heuristic algorithms and are powerful search algorithms for various global optimization problems.     

Multidisciplinary optimization of car bodies

Rising complexity of industrial development in the automotive industry is leading to a higher degree of interdisciplinarity, which is especially true in the virtual design area. New methods and solution procedures have to be evaluated and integrated in the overall process. For example, in car body design process, a new topic emerged recently: the multidisciplinary optimization of car bodies with respect to crash and NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness). Because rigorous evaluation of appropriate numerical algorithms is still missing, an intense study was realized at the research center of BMW. The results are summarized in this article. Four benchmarks have been studied: (a) a full vehicle model for NVH analysis, (b) a simplified multidisciplinary problem with a single crash case and linear statics and dynamics, (c) a lateral impact problem for multi-criteria optimization, and finally, (d) a small shape optimization problem was included to demonstrate the potential of transferring the results to the more complex problem of optimizations based on real changes in the shape of the structures. Because response surface methods have already been discussed in the literature and because of their failure in certain industrial cases, the focus was set on the evaluation of stochastic algorithms: simulated annealing, genetic and evolutionary algorithms were tested. Finally, a complete industrial multidisciplinary example from the current development process was studied for the validation of the results.     

遗传优化核极限学习机的数据分类算法

为了提高核极限学习机(KELM)数据分类的精度,提出了一种结合K折交叉验证(K-CV)与遗传算法(GA)的KELM分类器参数优化方法(GA-KELM),将CV训练所得多个模型的平均精度作为GA的适应度评价函数,为KELM的参数优化提供评价标准,用获得GA优化最优参数的KELM算法进行数据分类.利用UCI中数据集进行仿真,实验结果表明:所提方法在整体性能上优于GA结合支持向量机法(GA-SVM)和GA结合反向传播(GA-BP)算法,具有更高的分类精度.     

Multiobjective optimization of complex antenna structures using response surface models

A very efficient multiobjective (MO) design technique for complex antenna structures involving a large number of design parameters is presented. This design technique, multiobjective‐fractional factorial design (MO‐FFD), is very different from conventional Pareto‐based MO algorithms, which take a great deal of effort to balance the trade‐off between all the design specifications. By performing one single combination of simulations, all the response surface models of design goals are simultaneously built, and Derringer's desirability functions are readily applied to these models so that the optimum structure is obtained. Compared to classical MO algorithms such as Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm 2, nondominated sorting particle swarm optimizer, and cultural MO particle swarm optimization, MO‐FFD yields more desirable performances yet the required number of simulations is reduced by 97%. This article thoroughly illustrates the mathematical development of MO‐FFD, deriving a novel application of ultrawideband (UWB) antennas because of its MO optimization capability. More explicitly, MO‐FFD overcomes all the design challenges of dual band‐notched UWB antennas including desired impedance characteristics, enhanced fidelity factors, and uniform peak gains over the passband, which are what conventional Pareto‐based algorithms cannot attain. The measured results show that all the performance criteria are met; especially, the time‐domain signal distortion is minimized. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 26:62–71, 2016.     

遗传算法在模糊设计中的应用

构造了CAD系统模糊设计的一种具体解决方案: 其环境为收集到的现场数据; 学习环节采用基于遗传算法的模糊优化算法; 知识库由设计准则构成; 执行部件为设计单元. 建立了回归方程的模糊优化学习算法, 并构造了该算法的流程. 然后利用该模糊设计系统获得了飞边尺寸设计准则, 且应用实例对该算法的稳定性进行了校验. 为评估该算法的性能, 将其与最小二乘法和免疫遗传算法进行了比较, 结果表明, 该算法速度快, 精度高, 稳定性好.     

Genetic algorithms in computer aided design

Design is a complex engineering activity, in which computers are more and more involved. The design task can often be seen as an optimization problem in which the parameters or the structure describing the best quality design are sought.Genetic algorithms constitute a class of search algorithms especially suited to solving complex optimization problems. In addition to parameter optimization, genetic algorithms are also suggested for solving problems in creative design, such as combining components in a novel, creative way.Genetic algorithms transpose the notions of evolution in Nature to computers and imitate natural evolution. Basically, they find solution(s) to a problem by maintaining a population of possible solutions according to the ‘survival of the fittest’ principle. We present here the main features of genetic algorithms and several ways in which they can solve difficult design problems. We briefly introduce the basic notions of genetic algorithms, namely, representation, genetic operators, fitness evaluation, and selection. We discuss several advanced genetic algorithms that have proved to be efficient in solving difficult design problems. We then give an overview of applications of genetic algorithms to different domains of engineering design.     

A novel optimization approach for minimum cost design of trusses

This paper describes new optimization strategies that offer significant improvements in performance over existing methods for bridge-truss design. In this study, a real-world cost function that consists of costs on the weight of the truss and the number of products in the design is considered. We propose a new sizing approach that involves two algorithms applied in sequence – (1) a novel approach to generate a “good” initial solution and (2) a local search that attempts to generate the optimal solution by starting with the final solution from the previous algorithm. A clustering technique, which identifies members that are likely to have the same product type, is used with cost functions that consider a cost on the number of products. The proposed approach gives solutions that are much lower in cost compared to those generated in a comprehensive study of the same problem using genetic algorithms (GA). Also, the number of evaluations needed to arrive at the optimal solution is an order of magnitude lower than that needed in GAs. Since existing optimization techniques use cost functions like those of minimum-weight truss problems to illustrate their performance, the proposed approach is also applied to the same examples in order to compare its relative performance. The proposed approach is shown to generate solutions of not only better quality but also much more efficiently. To highlight the use of this sizing approach in a broader optimization framework, a simple geometry optimization algorithm that uses the sizing approach is presented. This algorithm is also shown to provide solutions better than the existing results in literature.     

基于演化算法的全加器优化设计

演化硬件研究工作中的一个重要研究内容就是电路优化设计,电路优化设计有望实现复杂电路的自动设计并获得新颖、优化的设计结果,因而成为国际性的研究热点。将演化算法引入全加器电路的优化设计中,引入了新的个体评估机制并提出了适用于全加器演化的演化算法。通过仿真实验验证了算法的有效性。     

Sporadic model building for efficiency enhancement of the hierarchical BOA

Efficiency enhancement techniques—such as parallelization and hybridization—are among the most important ingredients of practical applications of genetic and evolutionary algorithms and that is why this research area represents an important niche of evolutionary computation. This paper describes and analyzes sporadic model building, which can be used to enhance the efficiency of the hierarchical Bayesian optimization algorithm (hBOA) and other estimation of distribution algorithms (EDAs) that use complex multivariate probabilistic models. With sporadic model building, the structure of the probabilistic model is updated once in every few iterations (generations), whereas in the remaining iterations, only model parameters (conditional and marginal probabilities) are updated. Since the time complexity of updating model parameters is much lower than the time complexity of learning the model structure, sporadic model building decreases the overall time complexity of model building. The paper shows that for boundedly difficult nearly decomposable and hierarchical optimization problems, sporadic model building leads to a significant model-building speedup, which decreases the asymptotic time complexity of model building in hBOA by a factor of to where n is the problem size. On the other hand, sporadic model building also increases the number of evaluations until convergence; nonetheless, if model building is the bottleneck, the evaluation slowdown is insignificant compared to the gains in the asymptotic complexity of model building. The paper also presents a dimensional model to provide a heuristic for scaling the structure-building period, which is the only parameter of the proposed sporadic model-building approach. The paper then tests the proposed method and the rule for setting the structure-building period on the problem of finding ground states of 2D and 3D Ising spin glasses.     

An object-oriented simulation-optimization interface

Progress in the field of structural optimization naturally leads to an increasing number of structural models and optimization algorithms that need to be considered for design. Software architecture is of central importance in the ability to account for the complex links tying new structural models and optimizers. An object-oriented programming pattern for interfacing simulation and optimization codes is described in this article. The concepts of optimization variable, criteria, optimizers and simulation environment are the building blocks of the pattern. The resulting interface is logical, flexible and extensive. It encompasses constrained single or multiple objective formulations with continuous, discrete or mixed design variables. Applications are given for composite laminate design.     

Shape structural optimization with an interior point nonlinear programming algorithm

The aim of this paper is to study the implementation of an efficient and reliable technique for shape optimization of solids, based on general nonlinear programming algorithms. We also study the practical behaviour for this kind of applications of a quasi-Newton algorithm, based on the Feasible Direction Interior Point Method for nonlinear constrained optimization. The optimal shape of the solid is obtained iteratively. At each iteration, a new shape is generated by B-spline curves and a new mesh is automatically generated. The control point coordinates are given by the design variables. Several illustrative two-dimensional examples are solved in a very efficient way. We conclude that the present approach is simple to formulate and to code and that our optimization algorithm is appropriate for this problem. Received May 12, 1999     

Ordinal Hill Climbing Algorithms for Discrete Manufacturing Process Design Optimization Problems

Thispaper introduces ordinal hill climbing algorithms for addressingdiscrete manufacturing process design optimization problems usingcomputer simulation models. Ordinal hill climbing algorithmscombine the search space reduction feature of ordinal optimizationwith the global search feature of generalized hill climbing algorithms.By iteratively applying the ordinal optimization strategy withinthe generalized hill climbing algorithm framework, the resultinghybrid algorithm can be applied to intractable discrete optimizationproblems. Computational results on an integrated blade rotormanufacturing process design problem are presented to illustratethe application of the ordinal hill climbing algorithm. The relationshipbetween ordinal hill climbing algorithms and genetic algorithmsis also discussed. This discussion provides a framework for howthe ordinal hill climbing algorithm fits into currently appliedalgorithms, as well as to introduce a bridge between the twoalgorithms.     

Nature inspired algorithms to optimize robot workcell layouts

Multi-objective layout optimization methods for the conceptual design of robot cellular manufacturing systems are proposed in this paper. Robot cellular manufacturing systems utilize one or more flexible robots which can carry out a large number of operations, and can conduct flexible assemble processes. The layout design stage of such manufacturing systems is especially important since fundamental performances of the manufacturing system under consideration are determined at this stage. Layout area, operation time and manipulability of robot are the three important criteria when it comes to designing manufacturing system. The use of nature inspired algorithms are not extensively explored to optimize robot workcell layouts. The contribution in this paper is the use of five nature-inspired algorithms, viz. genetic algorithm (GA), differential evolution (DE), artificial bee colony (ABC), charge search system (CSS) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms and to optimize the three design criteria simultaneously. Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II is used to handle multiple objectives and to obtain pareto solutions for the problems considered. The performance of sequence pair and B*-Tree layout representation schemes are also evaluated. It is found that sequence pair scheme performs better than B*-Tree representation and it is used in the algorithms. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed methods. It is observed that PSO performs better over the other algorithms in terms of solution quality.     

Generation of energy-efficient architecture solutions applying GENE_ARCH: An evolution-based generative design system

As the field of design automation and generative design systems (GDS) evolve, more emphasis is placed on issues of design evaluation. This paper focus on the presentation of different applications of GENE_ARCH, an evolution-based GDS aimed at helping architects to achieve energy-efficient and sustainable architectural solutions. The system applies goal-oriented design, combining a genetic algorithm (GA) as the search engine, with the DOE2.1E building energy simulation software as the evaluation module. Design evaluation is based on energy spent for heating, cooling, ventilation and artificial lighting in the building, and on sustainability issues like greenhouse gas emissions associated with the embodied energy of construction materials. The GA can work either as a standard GA or as a Pareto GA, for multicriteria search and optimization. In order to provide a broad view of the capabilities of the software, different applications are discussed: (1) standard GA: testing and validating the software; (2) standard GA: incorporation of architecture design intentions, using a building by architect Alvaro Siza; (3) Pareto GA: choice of construction materials, considering cost, building energy use, and embodied energy; (4) Pareto GA: application to Siza’s building, considering thermal and lighting behavior separately; (5) standard GA: shape generation with single objective function; (6) Pareto GA: shape generation with multicriteria evaluation; (7) Pareto GA: application to an urban and housing context. Overall conclusions from the different applications are discussed, as well as current challenges and limitations, and directions for further work.     

Efficient shape parameterization method for multidisciplinary global optimization and application to integrated ship hull shape optimization workflow

Multidisciplinary global shape optimization requires a geometric parameterization method that keeps the shape generality while lowering the number of free variables. This paper presents a reduced parameter set parameterization method based on integral B-spline surface capable of both shape and topology variations and suitable for global multidisciplinary optimization. The objective of the paper is to illustrate the advantages of the proposed method in comparison to standard parameterization and to prove that the proposed method can be used in an integrated multidisciplinary workflow. Non-linear fitting is used to test the proposed parameterization performance before the actual optimization. The parameterization method can in this way be tested and pre-selected based on previously existing geometries. Fitting tests were conducted on three shapes with dissimilar geometrical features, and great improvement in shape generality while reducing the number of shape parameters was achieved. The best results are obtained for a small number (up to 50) of optimization variables, where a classical applying of parameterization method requires about two times as many optimization variables to obtain the same fitting capacity.The proposed shape parameterization method was tested in a multidisciplinary ship hull optimization workflow to confirm that it can actually be used in multiobjective optimization problems. The workflow integrates shape parameterization with hydrodynamic, structural and geometry analysis tools. In comparison to classical local and global optimization methods, the evolutionary algorithm allows for fully autonomous design with an ability to generate a wide Pareto front without a need for an initial solution.     

基于浮点数编码遗传算法的PI参数优化算法

本文介绍了基于浮点数编码遗传算法寻优的PID参数优化方法,采用误差绝对值时间平方积分性能指标作为参数选择的目标函数,利用遗传算法的全局搜索能力,实现对全局最优解的寻优,以降低PID参数整定的难度,达到总体提高系统性能的目的.仿真结果表明,通过浮点数编码遗传算法进行PI参数优化可使系统具有很好的动态品质和稳态特性.     

Robust seismic design optimization of steel structures

Stochastic performance measures can be taken into account, in structural optimization, using two distinct formulations: robust design optimization (RDO) and reliability-based design optimization (RBDO). According to a RDO formulation, it is desired to obtain solutions insensitive to the uncontrollable parameter variation. In the present study, the solution of a structural robust design problem formulated as a two-objective optimization problem is addressed, where cross-sectional dimensions, material properties and earthquake loading are considered as random variables. Additionally, a two-objective deterministic-based optimization (DBO) problem is also considered. In particular, the DBO and RDO formulations are employed for assessing the Greek national seismic design code for steel structural buildings with respect to the behavioral factor considered. The limit-state-dependent cost is used as a measure of assessment. The stochastic finite element problem is solved using the Monte Carlo Simulation method, while a modified NSGA-II algorithm is employed for solving the two-objective optimization problem.     

A Genetic Algorithm for Multiobjective Robust Design

The goal of robust design is to develop stable products that exhibit minimum sensitivity to uncontrollable variations. The main drawback of many quality engineering approaches, including Taguchi's ideology, is that they cannot efficiently handle presence of several often conflicting objectives and constraints that occur in various design environments.Classical vector optimization and multiobjective genetic algorithms offer numerous techniques for simultaneous optimization of multiple responses, but they have not addressed the central quality control activities of tolerance design and parameter optimization. Due to their ability to search populations of candidate designs in parallel without assumptions of continuity, unimodality or convexity of underlying objectives, genetic algorithms are an especially viable tool for off-line quality control.In this paper we introduce a new methodology which integrates key concepts from diverse fields of robust design, multiobjective optimization and genetic algorithms. The genetic algorithm developed in this work applies natural genetic operators of reproduction, crossover and mutation to evolve populations of hyper-rectangular design regions while simultaneously reducing the sensitivity of the generated designs to uncontrollable variations. The improvement in quality of successive generations of designs is achieved by conducting orthogonal array experiments as to increase the average signal-to-noise ratio of a pool of candidate designs from one generation to the next.     

Optimal Design of a 6-DOF Parallel Manipulator Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Performance indices of parallel manipulators (PMs) vary widely with the variation of geometric properties. Improvement of one parameter often leads to worsen the other parameters. Therefore, getting into an optimum design for the PMs has been subject of much recent research. In this paper, we optimize three performance parameters of a PM simultaneously including workspace, condition number, and stiffness. In addition, a new performance index is introduced for stiffness evaluation of the PMs. The index is invariant under similarities. Because of complexity of cost function and number of variables, choosing an optimization method that can converge to the optimum point is very important. We select particle swarm optimization (PSO) method and show that this algorithm is perfect for performance optimization of PMs. Furthermore, we propose a new subroutine added to PSO algorithm to improve its convergence.