Water wave optimization: A new nature-inspired metaheuristic

Nature-inspired computing has been a hot topic in scientific and engineering fields in recent years. Inspired by the shallow water wave theory, the paper presents a novel metaheuristic method, named water wave optimization (WWO), for global optimization problems. We show how the beautiful phenomena of water waves, such as propagation, refraction, and breaking, can be used to derive effective mechanisms for searching in a high-dimensional solution space. In general, the algorithmic framework of WWO is simple, and easy to implement with a small-size population and only a few control parameters. We have tested WWO on a diverse set of benchmark problems, and applied WWO to a real-world high-speed train scheduling problem in China. The computational results demonstrate that WWO is very competitive with state-of-the-art evolutionary algorithms including invasive weed optimization (IWO), biogeography-based optimization (BBO), bat algorithm (BA), etc. The new metaheuristic is expected to have wide applications in real-world engineering optimization problems.     

An efficient metamodel-based multi-objective multidisciplinary design optimization framework

This paper presents an efficient metamodel-based multi-objective multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) architecture for solving multi-objective high fidelity MDO problems. One of the important features of the proposed method is the development of an efficient surrogate model-based multi-objective particle swarm optimization (EMOPSO) algorithm, which is integrated with a computationally efficient metamodel-based MDO architecture. The proposed EMOPSO algorithm is based on sorted Pareto front crowding distance, utilizing star topology. In addition, a constraint-handling mechanism in non-domination appointment and fuzzy logic is also introduced to overcome feasibility complexity and rapid identification of optimum design point on the Pareto front. The proposed algorithm is implemented on a metamodel-based collaborative optimization architecture. The proposed method is evaluated and compared with existing multi-objective optimization algorithms such as multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II), using a number of well-known benchmark problems. One of the important results observed is that the proposed EMOPSO algorithm provides high diversity with fast convergence speed as compared to other algorithms. The proposed method is also applied to a multi-objective collaborative optimization of unmanned aerial vehicle wing based on high fidelity models involving structures and aerodynamics disciplines. The results obtained show that the proposed method provides an effective way of solving multi-objective multidisciplinary design optimization problem using high fidelity models.     

Constrained multi-objective optimization algorithms: Review and comparison with application in reinforced concrete structures

Engineering design problems are often multi-objective in nature, which means trade-offs are required between conflicting objectives. In this study, we examine the multi-objective algorithms for the optimal design of reinforced concrete structures. We begin with a review of multi-objective optimization approaches in general and then present a more focused review on multi-objective optimization of reinforced concrete structures. We note that the existing literature uses metaheuristic algorithms as the most common approaches to solve the multi-objective optimization problems. Other efficient approaches, such as derivative-free optimization and gradient-based methods, are often ignored in structural engineering discipline. This paper presents a multi-objective model for the optimal design of reinforced concrete beams where the optimal solution is interested in trade-off between cost and deflection. We then examine the efficiency of six established multi-objective optimization algorithms, including one method based on purely random point selection, on the design problem. Ranking and consistency of the result reveals a derivative-free optimization algorithm as the most efficient one.     

改进的排序变异多目标差分进化算法

针对多目标差分进化算法在求解问题时收敛速度慢和均匀性欠佳的问题,提出了一种改进的排序变异多目标差分进化算法（MODE-IRM）。该算法将参与变异的三个父代个体中的最优个体作为基向量,提高了排序变异算子的求解速度;另外,算法采用反向参数控制方法在不同的优化阶段动态调整参数值,进一步提高了算法的收敛速度;最后,引入了改进的拥挤距离计算公式进行排序操作,提高了解的均匀性。采用标准多目标优化问题ZDTl~ZDT4,ZDT6和DTLZ6~DTLZ7进行仿真实验:MODE-IRM在总体性能上均优于MODE-RMO和PlatEMO平台上的MOEA/D-DE、RM-MEDA以及IM-MOEA;在世代距离（GD）、反向世代距离（IGD）和间隔指标（SP）性能度量指标方面,MODE-IRM在所有优化问题上的均值和方差均明显小于MODE-RMO。实验结果表明MODE-IRM在收敛性和均匀性指标上明显优于对比算法。     

基于多区域采样策略的混合粒子群优化求解多目标柔性作业车间调度问题

柔性作业车间调度问题（FJSP）是一类应用广泛的组合优化问题。针对多目标FJSP求解过程复杂、算法易陷入局部最优的问题,提出了一种基于多区域采样策略的混合粒子群优化算法（HPSO-MRS）,以同时优化最大完工时间和总机器延迟时间这两个目标。多区域采样策略能够区分粒子所在Pareto前沿面的位置,根据不同区域进行采样重组,并为采样后位于Pareto前沿面多个区域的粒子规划相应的运动方向,从而有针对性地调整粒子在多个方向上的收敛能力,并带来一定程度的均匀分布能力的提升。此外,编解码方面使用带插空机制的解码策略来消除可能存在的局部左移;粒子更新方面将传统粒子群优化（PSO）算法的粒子更新方式与遗传算法（GA）的交叉变异算子相结合,提升了算法搜索过程的多样性并避免算法陷入局部最优。把所提算法在Benchmark问题Mk01~Mk10上进行测试,与传统的HPSO、NSGA-Ⅱ、基于适应度分配策略的多目标进化算法（SPEA2）和基于分解的多目标进化算法（MOEA/D）进行算法效力和运行效率对比。显著性分析的实验结果表明,HPSO-MRS在收敛性评价指标HV和IGD上分别在85%和77.5%的对照组中显著优于对比算法,而该算法在35%的对照组中的分布性指标Spacing显著优于对比算法,且均不存在所提算法显著差于对比算法的情况。可见相较于对比算法,所提出的算法具备较好的收敛与分布性能。     

Multimodal optimization by artificial weed colonies enhanced with localized group search optimizers

Multimodal optimization aims at finding multiple global and local optima (as opposed to a single solution) of a function, so that the user can have a better knowledge about different optimal solutions in the search space and as and when needed, the current solution may be switched to another suitable one while still maintaining the optimal system performance. Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) due to their population-based approach are able to detect multiple solutions within a population in a single simulation run and have a clear advantage over the classical optimization techniques, which need multiple restarts and multiple runs in the hope that a different solution may be discovered every run, with no guarantee however. This article proposes a hybrid two-stage optimization technique that firstly employs Invasive Weed Optimization (IWO), an ecologically inspired algorithm to find the promising Euclidean sub-regions surrounding multiple global and local optima. IWO is run for 80% of the total budget of function evaluations (FEs), and consecutively the search is intensified by using a modified Group Search Optimizer (GSO), in each detected sub-region. GSO, invoked in each sub-region discovered with IWO, is continued for 20% of the total budget of FEs. Both IWO and GSO have been modified from their original forms to meet the demands of the multimodal problems used in this work. Performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with a number of state-of-the-art multimodal optimization algorithms over a benchmark-suite comprising of 21 basic multimodal problems and 7 composite multimodal problems. A practical multimodal optimization problem concerning the design of dielectric composites has also been used to test the performance of the algorithm. Experimental results suggest that the proposed technique is able to provide better and more consistent performance over the existing well-known multimodal algorithms for majority of the test problems without incurring any serious computational burden.     

Ensemble of multi-objective metaheuristic algorithms for multi-objective unconstrained binary quadratic programming problem

Metaheuristics have been widely utilized for solving NP-hard optimization problems. However, these algorithms usually perform differently from one problem to another, i.e., one may be effective on a problem but performs badly on another problem. Therefore, it is difficult to choose the best algorithm in advance for a given problem. In contrast to selecting the best algorithm for a problem, selection hyper-heuristics aim at performing well on a set of problems (instances). This paper proposes a selection hyper-heuristic based algorithm for multi-objective optimization problems. In the proposed algorithm, multiple metaheuristics exhibiting different search behaviors are managed and controlled as low-level metaheuristics in an algorithm pool, and the most appropriate metaheuristic is selected by means of a performance indicator at each search stage. To assess the performance of the proposed algorithm, an implementation of the algorithm containing four metaheuristics is proposed and tested for solving multi-objective unconstrained binary quadratic programming problem. Experimental results on 50 benchmark instances show that the proposed algorithm can provide better overall performance than single metaheuristics, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.     

C-PSA: Constrained Pareto simulated annealing for constrained multi-objective optimization

In recent years, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have been extensively developed and utilized to solve multi-objective optimization problems. However, some previous studies have shown that for certain problems, an approach which allows for non-greedy or uphill moves (unlike EAs), can be more beneficial. One such approach is simulated annealing (SA). SA is a proven heuristic for solving numerical optimization problems. But owing to its point-to-point nature of search, limited efforts has been made to explore its potential for solving multi-objective problems. The focus of the presented work is to develop a simulated annealing algorithm for constrained multi-objective problems. The performance of the proposed algorithm is reported on a number of difficult constrained benchmark problems. A comparison with other established multi-objective optimization algorithms, such as infeasibility driven evolutionary algorithm (IDEA), Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) and multi-objective Scatter search II (MOSS-II) has been included to highlight the benefits of the proposed approach.     

基于多目标进化算法的MOEA/D权重向量产生方法

在进化多目标优化研究领域,多目标优化是指对含有2个及以上目标的多目标问题的同时优化,其在近些年来受到越来越多的关注。随着MOEA/D的提出,基于聚合的多目标进化算法得到越来越多的研究,对MOEA/D算法的改进已有较多成果,但是很少有成果研究MOEA/D中权重的产生方法。提出一种使用多目标进化算法产生任意多个均匀分布的权重向量的方法,将其应用到MOEA/D,MSOPS和NSGA-III中,对这3个经典的基于聚合的多目标进化算法进行系统的比较研究。通过该类算法在DTLZ测试集、多目标旅行商问题MOTSP上的优化结果来分别研究该类算法在连续性问题、组合优化问题上的优化能力,以及使用矩形测试问题使得多目标进化算法的优化结果在决策空间可视化。实验结果表明,没有一个算法能适用于所有特性的问题。然而,MOEA/D采用不同聚合函数的两个算法MOEA/D_Tchebycheff和MOEA/D_PBI在多数情况下的性能比MSOPS和NSGA-III更好。     

A self-adaptive multi-objective harmony search algorithm based on harmony memory variance

Although harmony search (HS) algorithm has shown many advantages in solving global optimization problems, its parameters need to be set by users according to experience and problem characteristics. This causes great difficulties for novice users. In order to overcome this difficulty, a self-adaptive multi-objective harmony search (SAMOHS) algorithm based on harmony memory variance is proposed in this paper. In the SAMOHS algorithm, a modified self-adaptive bandwidth is employed, moreover, the self-adaptive parameter setting based on variation of harmony memory variance is proposed for harmony memory considering rate (HMCR) and pitch adjusting rate (PAR). To solve multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs), the proposed SAMOHS uses non-dominated sorting and truncating procedure to update harmony memory (HM). To demonstrate the effectiveness of the SAMOHS, it is tested with many benchmark problems and applied to solve a practical engineering optimization problem. The experimental results show that the SAMOHS is competitive in convergence performance and diversity performance, compared with other multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs). In the experiment, the impact of harmony memory size (HMS) on the performance of SAMOHS is also analyzed.     

基于多点非均匀变异的多目标极值优化算法研究

多目标进化算法因其在解决含有多个矛盾目标函数的多目标优化问题中的强大处理能力,正受到越来越多的关注与研究。极值优化作为一种新型的进化算法,已在各种离散优化、连续优化测试函数以及工程优化问题中得到了较为成功的应用,但有关多目标EO算法的研究却十分有限。本文将采用Pareto优化的基本原理引入到极值优化算法中,提出一种求解连续多目标优化问题的基于多点非均匀变异的多目标极值优化算法。通过对六个国际公认的连续多目标优化测试函数的仿真实验结果表明：本文提出算法相比NSGA-II、 PAES、SPEA和SPEA2等经典多目标优化算法在收敛性和分布性方面均具有优势。     

Comparable investigation of backtracking search algorithm in automatic generation control for two area reheat interconnected thermal power system

This paper concentrates on the validation of metaheuristic algorithms like backtracking search optimization algorithm (BSA) and fruit fly optimization algorithm (FFA) for tuning a optimal PID controller for automatic generation control. For this purpose, a two area reheat interconnected thermal system with nonlinearities like generator rate constant (GRC), deadband and time delay are considered. The proposed work is implemented using MATLAB Simulink for various load conditions with objective functions for metaheuristic algorithms capturing signals from various positions of proposed model. The results obtained using two algorithms are compared and explored.     

A Multi-Objective Integer Melody Search Algorithm

There are a number of algorithms for the solution of continuous optimization problems. However, many practical design optimization problems use integer design variables instead of continuous. These types of problems cannot be handled by using continuous design variables-based algorithms. In this paper, we present a multi-objective integer melody search optimization algorithm (MO-IMS) for solving multi-objective integer optimization problems, which take design variables as integers. The proposed algorithm is a modified version of single-objective melody search (MS) algorithm, which is an innovative optimization algorithm, inspired by basic concepts applied in harmony search (HS) algorithm. Results show that MO-IMS has better performance in solving multi-objective integer problems than the existing multi-objective integer harmony search algorithm (MO-IHS). Performance of proposed algorithm is evaluated by using various performance metrics on test functions. The simulation results show that the proposed MO-IMS can be a better technique for solving multi-objective problems having integer decision variables.     

An adaptive evolutionary multi-objective approach based on simulated annealing

A multi-objective optimization problem can be solved by decomposing it into one or more single objective subproblems in some multi-objective metaheuristic algorithms. Each subproblem corresponds to one weighted aggregation function. For example, MOEA/D is an evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO) algorithm that attempts to optimize multiple subproblems simultaneously by evolving a population of solutions. However, the performance of MOEA/D highly depends on the initial setting and diversity of the weight vectors. In this paper, we present an improved version of MOEA/D, called EMOSA, which incorporates an advanced local search technique (simulated annealing) and adapts the search directions (weight vectors) corresponding to various subproblems. In EMOSA, the weight vector of each subproblem is adaptively modified at the lowest temperature in order to diversify the search toward the unexplored parts of the Pareto-optimal front. Our computational results show that EMOSA outperforms six other well established multi-objective metaheuristic algorithms on both the (constrained) multi-objective knapsack problem and the (unconstrained) multi-objective traveling salesman problem. Moreover, the effects of the main algorithmic components and parameter sensitivities on the search performance of EMOSA are experimentally investigated.     

Analyzing the impact of MOACO components: An algorithmic study on the multi-objective shortest path problem

Multi-objective Ant Colony Optimization (MOACO) algorithms have been successfully applied to several multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems (MCOP) over the past decade. Recently, we proposed a MOACO algorithm named GRACE for the multi-objective shortest path (MSP) problem, confirming the efficiency of such metaheuristic for this MCOP. In this paper, we investigate several extensions of GRACE, proposing several single and multi-colony variants of the original algorithm. All variants are compared on the original set of instances used for proposing GRACE. The best-performing variants are also assessed using a new benchmark containing 300 larger instances with three different underlying graph structures. Experimental evaluation shows one of the variants to produce better results than the others, including the original GRACE, thus improving the state-of-the-art of MSP.     

Water wave optimization for combinatorial optimization: Design strategies and applications

Although the community of nature-inspired computing has witnessed a wide variety of metaheuristics, it often requires considerable effort to adapt them to different combinatorial optimization problems (COPs), and few studies have been devoted to reducing this burden. This paper proposes a systematic approach that consists of a set of basic steps and strategies for adapting water wave optimization (WWO), a simple and generic metaheuristic, to concrete heuristic algorithms for different COPs. Taking advantages of the generic algorithmic framework, designers can only focus on adapting the prorogation operator and the wavelength calculation method according to the combinatorial properties of the given problem, and thus easily derive efficient problem-solving algorithms. We illustrate and test our approach on the flow-shop scheduling problem (FSP), the single-objective multidimensional knapsack problem (MKP), and the multi-objective MKP, and then present an application to a machine utilization optimization problem for a large manufacturing enterprise. The results demonstrate that our approach can derive concrete algorithms that are competitive to the state-of-the-arts. Our approach also provides insights into the adaptation of other metaheuristics and the development of new metaheuristics for COPs.     

无参分组大规模变量的多目标算法研究

目前大多数多目标优化算法没有考虑到决策变量之间的交互性,只是将所有变量当作一个整体进行优化。随着决策变量的增加,多目标优化算法的性能会急剧下降。针对上述问题,提出一种无参变量分组的大规模变量的多目标优化算法(MOEA/DWPG)。该算法将协同优化与基于分解的多目标优化算法(MOEA/D)相结合,设计了一种不含参数的分组方式来提高交互变量分组的精确性,提高了算法处理含有大规模变量的多目标优化算法的性能。实验结果表明,该算法在大规模变量多目标问题上明显优于MOEA/D及其它先进算法。     

基于多目标飞蛾算法的电力系统无功优化研究

鉴于电力需求的日益增长与传统无功优化方法的桎梏,如何更加合理有效地解决电力系统的无功优化问题逐渐成为了研究的热点。提出一种多目标飞蛾扑火算法来解决电力系统多目标无功优化的问题,算法引入固定大小的外部储存机制、自适应的网格和筛选机制来有效存储和提升无功优化问题的帕累托最优解集,算法采用CEC2009标准多目标测试函数来进行仿真实验,并与两种经典算法进行性能的对比分析。此外,在电力系统IEEE 30节点上将该算法与MOPSO,NGSGA-II算法的求解结果进行比较分析的结果表明,多目标飞蛾算法具有良好的性能,并在解决电力系统多目标无功优化问题上具有良好的潜力。     

A modified genetic algorithm with fuzzy roulette wheel selection for job-shop scheduling problems

The job-shop scheduling problem is one of the most difficult production planning problems. Since it is in the NP-hard class, a recent trend in solving the job-shop scheduling problem is shifting towards the use of heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms. This paper proposes a novel metaheuristic algorithm, which is a modification of the genetic algorithm. This proposed algorithm introduces two new concepts to the standard genetic algorithm: (1) fuzzy roulette wheel selection and (2) the mutation operation with tabu list. The proposed algorithm has been evaluated and compared with several state-of-the-art algorithms in the literature. The experimental results on 53 JSSPs show that the proposed algorithm is very effective in solving the combinatorial optimization problems. It outperforms all state-of-the-art algorithms on all benchmark problems in terms of the ability to achieve the optimal solution and the computational time.