Ultimate and Practical Limits for Counterweight Balancing of Six-Bar Linkages

Author(s):  
Bram Demeulenaere ◽  
Jan Swevers ◽  
Joris De Schutter

The designer’s main challenge when counterweight balancing a linkage is to determine the counterweights that realize an optimal trade-off between the dynamic forces of interest. This problem is often formulated as an optimization problem that is generally nonlinear and therefore suffers from local optima. It has been shown earlier, however, that, through a proper parametrization of the counterweights, a convex program can be obtained. Convex programs are nonlinear optimization problems of which the global optimum is guaranteed to be found with great efficiency. The present paper extends this previous work in two respects: (i) the methodology is generalized from four-bar to planar N-bar (rigid) linkages and (ii) it is shown that requiring the counterweights to be realizable in practice can be cast as a convex constraint. Numerical results for a Watt six-bar linkage suggest much more balancing potential for six-bar linkages than for four-bar linkages.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 98-116
Author(s):  
Noureddine Boukhari ◽  
Fatima Debbat ◽  
Nicolas Monmarché ◽  
Mohamed Slimane

Evolution strategies (ES) are a family of strong stochastic methods for global optimization and have proved their capability in avoiding local optima more than other optimization methods. Many researchers have investigated different versions of the original evolution strategy with good results in a variety of optimization problems. However, the convergence rate of the algorithm to the global optimum stays asymptotic. In order to accelerate the convergence rate, a hybrid approach is proposed using the nonlinear simplex method (Nelder-Mead) and an adaptive scheme to control the local search application, and the authors demonstrate that such combination yields significantly better convergence. The new proposed method has been tested on 15 complex benchmark functions and applied to the bi-objective portfolio optimization problem and compared with other state-of-the-art techniques. Experimental results show that the performance is improved by this hybridization in terms of solution eminence and strong convergence.


Mathematics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangkai Sun ◽  
Hongyong Fu ◽  
Jing Zeng

This paper deals with robust quasi approximate optimal solutions for a nonsmooth semi-infinite optimization problems with uncertainty data. By virtue of the epigraphs of the conjugates of the constraint functions, we first introduce a robust type closed convex constraint qualification. Then, by using the robust type closed convex constraint qualification and robust optimization technique, we obtain some necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for robust quasi approximate optimal solution and exact optimal solution of this nonsmooth uncertain semi-infinite optimization problem. Moreover, the obtained results in this paper are applied to a nonsmooth uncertain optimization problem with cone constraints.


Author(s):  
Adel A. Younis ◽  
George H. Cheng ◽  
G. Gary Wang ◽  
Zuomin Dong

Metamodel based design optimization (MBDO) algorithms have attracted considerable interests in recent years due to their special capability in dealing with complex optimization problems with computationally expensive objective and constraint functions and local optima. Conventional unimodal-based optimization algorithms and stochastic global optimization algorithms either miss the global optimum frequently or require unacceptable computation time. In this work, a generic testbed/platform for evaluating various MBDO algorithms has been introduced. The purpose of the platform is to facilitate quantitative comparison of different MBDO algorithms using standard test problems, test procedures, and test outputs, as well as to improve the efficiency of new algorithm testing and improvement. The platform consists of a comprehensive test function database that contains about 100 benchmark functions and engineering problems. The testbed accepts any optimization algorithm to be tested, and only requires minor modifications to meet the test-bed requirements. The testbed is useful in comparing the performance of competing algorithms through execution of same problems. It allows researchers and practitioners to test and choose the most suitable optimization tool for their specific needs. It also helps to increase confidence and reliability of the newly developed MBDO tools. Many new MBDO algorithms, including Mode Pursuing Sampling (MPS), Pareto Set Pursuing (PSP), and Space Exploration and Unimodal Region Elimination (SEUMRE), were tested in this work to demonstrate its functionality and benefits.


2011 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. 535-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
BOUDJEHEM DJALIL ◽  
BOUDJEHEM BADREDDINE ◽  
BOUKAACHE ABDENOUR

In this paper, we propose a very interesting idea in global optimization making it easer and a low-cost task. The main idea is to reduce the dimension of the optimization problem in hand to a mono-dimensional one using variables coding. At this level, the algorithm will look for the global optimum of a mono-dimensional cost function. The new algorithm has the ability to avoid local optima, reduces the number of evaluations, and improves the speed of the algorithm convergence. This method is suitable for functions that have many extremes. Our algorithm can determine a narrow space around the global optimum in very restricted time based on a stochastic tests and an adaptive partition of the search space. Illustrative examples are presented to show the efficiency of the proposed idea. It was found that the algorithm was able to locate the global optimum even though the objective function has a large number of optima.


2013 ◽  
Vol 421 ◽  
pp. 507-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurezayana Zainal ◽  
Azlan Mohd Zain ◽  
Nor Haizan Mohamed Radzi ◽  
Amirmudin Udin

Glowworm Swarm Optimization (GSO) algorithm is a derivative-free, meta-heuristic algorithm and mimicking the glow behavior of glowworms which can efficiently capture all the maximum multimodal function. Nevertheless, there are several weaknesses to locate the global optimum solution for instance low calculation accuracy, simply falling into the local optimum, convergence rate of success and slow speed to converge. This paper reviews the exposition of a new method of swarm intelligence in solving optimization problems using GSO. Recently the GSO algorithm was used simultaneously to find solutions of multimodal function optimization problem in various fields in today industry such as science, engineering, network and robotic. From the paper review, we could conclude that the basic GSO algorithm, GSO with modification or improvement and GSO with hybridization are considered by previous researchers in order to solve the optimization problem. However, based on the literature review, many researchers applied basic GSO algorithm in their research rather than others.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuehe Zhu ◽  
Hua Wang ◽  
Jin Zhang

Since most spacecraft multiple-impulse trajectory optimization problems are complex multimodal problems with boundary constraint, finding the global optimal solution based on the traditional differential evolution (DE) algorithms becomes so difficult due to the deception of many local optima and the probable existence of a bias towards suboptimal solution. In order to overcome this issue and enhance the global searching ability, an improved DE algorithm with combined mutation strategies and boundary-handling schemes is proposed. In the first stage, multiple mutation strategies are utilized, and each strategy creates a mutant vector. In the second stage, multiple boundary-handling schemes are used to simultaneously address the same infeasible trial vector. Two typical spacecraft multiple-impulse trajectory optimization problems are studied and optimized using the proposed DE method. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed DE method efficiently overcomes the problem created by the convergence to a local optimum and obtains the global optimum with a higher reliability and convergence rate compared with some other popular evolutionary methods.


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 1272-1284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bram Demeulenaere ◽  
Erwin Aertbeliën ◽  
Myriam Verschuure ◽  
Jan Swevers ◽  
Joris De Schutter

This paper focuses on reducing the dynamic reactions (shaking force, shaking moment, and driving torque) of planar crank-rocker four-bars through counterweight addition. Determining the counterweight mass parameters constitutes a nonlinear optimization problem, which suffers from local optima. This paper, however, proves that it can be reformulated as a convex program, that is, a nonlinear optimization problem of which any local optimum is also globally optimal. Because of this unique property, it is possible to investigate (and by virtue of the guaranteed global optimum, in fact prove) the ultimate limits of counterweight balancing. In a first example a design procedure is presented that is based on graphically representing the ultimate limits in design charts. A second example illustrates the versatility and power of the convex optimization framework by reformulating an earlier counterweight balancing method as a convex program and providing improved numerical results for it.


2011 ◽  
Vol 181-182 ◽  
pp. 937-942
Author(s):  
Bo Liu ◽  
Hong Xia Pan

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is widely used to solve complex optimization problems. However, classical PSO may be trapped in local optima and fails to converge to global optimum. In this paper, the concept of the self particles and the random particles is introduced into classical PSO to keep the particle diversity. All particles are divided into the standard particles, the self particles and the random particles according to special proportion. The feature of the proposed algorithm is analyzed and several testing functions are performed in simulation study. Experimental results show that, the proposed PDPSO algorithm can escape from local minima and significantly enhance the convergence precision.


2012 ◽  
Vol 488-489 ◽  
pp. 1293-1297
Author(s):  
Jia Yang Wang ◽  
Bi Zhang ◽  
Zuo Yong Li ◽  
Lei Xu

A new improved algorithm of Taboo Search (TS), namely, Hybrid Taboo Search (HTS) is first introduced and tried for several test functions having multiple local optima. Here, Taboo Search was improved by combining Immune Arithmetic (IA) and Simulated Annealing (SA). Several strategies to improve the TS have been presented before, but the focus here is on the novelty, availability and precision of algorithm. There are several optimization problems in computer-aided design, so the article used the improved HTS in computer-aided optimization problems, the performance of which is compared with the performance of conventional TS (TS). Results show that HTS plays an important role in solving computer-aided optimization problems with the effectiveness and higher accuracy.


Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Manzoni ◽  
Daniele M. Papetti ◽  
Paolo Cazzaniga ◽  
Simone Spolaor ◽  
Giancarlo Mauri ◽  
...  

Surfing in rough waters is not always as fun as wave riding the “big one”. Similarly, in optimization problems, fitness landscapes with a huge number of local optima make the search for the global optimum a hard and generally annoying game. Computational Intelligence optimization metaheuristics use a set of individuals that “surf” across the fitness landscape, sharing and exploiting pieces of information about local fitness values in a joint effort to find out the global optimum. In this context, we designed surF, a novel surrogate modeling technique that leverages the discrete Fourier transform to generate a smoother, and possibly easier to explore, fitness landscape. The rationale behind this idea is that filtering out the high frequencies of the fitness function and keeping only its partial information (i.e., the low frequencies) can actually be beneficial in the optimization process. We prove our theory by combining surF with a settings free variant of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based on Fuzzy Logic, called Fuzzy Self-Tuning PSO. Specifically, we introduce a new algorithm, named F3ST-PSO, which performs a preliminary exploration on the surrogate model followed by a second optimization using the actual fitness function. We show that F3ST-PSO can lead to improved performances, notably using the same budget of fitness evaluations.


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