Multi-Objective Optimization of Manufacturing Processes Using Evolutionary Algorithms

Author(s):  
M. Kanthababu

Recently evolutionary algorithms have created more interest among researchers and manufacturing engineers for solving multiple-objective problems. The objective of this chapter is to give readers a comprehensive understanding and also to give a better insight into the applications of solving multi-objective problems using evolutionary algorithms for manufacturing processes. The most important feature of evolutionary algorithms is that it can successfully find globally optimal solutions without getting restricted to local optima. This chapter introduces the reader with the basic concepts of single-objective optimization, multi-objective optimization, as well as evolutionary algorithms, and also gives an overview of its salient features. Some of the evolutionary algorithms widely used by researchers for solving multiple objectives have been presented and compared. Among the evolutionary algorithms, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA) and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) have emerged as most efficient algorithms for solving multi-objective problems in manufacturing processes. The NSGA method applied to a complex manufacturing process, namely plateau honing process, considering multiple objectives, has been detailed with a case study. The chapter concludes by suggesting implementation of evolutionary algorithms in different research areas which hold promise for future applications.

2012 ◽  
pp. 352-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kanthababu

Recently evolutionary algorithms have created more interest among researchers and manufacturing engineers for solving multiple-objective problems. The objective of this chapter is to give readers a comprehensive understanding and also to give a better insight into the applications of solving multi-objective problems using evolutionary algorithms for manufacturing processes. The most important feature of evolutionary algorithms is that it can successfully find globally optimal solutions without getting restricted to local optima. This chapter introduces the reader with the basic concepts of single-objective optimization, multi-objective optimization, as well as evolutionary algorithms, and also gives an overview of its salient features. Some of the evolutionary algorithms widely used by researchers for solving multiple objectives have been presented and compared. Among the evolutionary algorithms, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA) and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) have emerged as most efficient algorithms for solving multi-objective problems in manufacturing processes. The NSGA method applied to a complex manufacturing process, namely plateau honing process, considering multiple objectives, has been detailed with a case study. The chapter concludes by suggesting implementation of evolutionary algorithms in different research areas which hold promise for future applications.


Author(s):  
F. Al-Abri ◽  
E.A. Edirisinghe ◽  
C. Grecos

This chapter presents a generalised framework for multi-objective optimisation of video CODECs for use in off-line, on-demand applications. In particular, an optimization scheme is proposed to determine the optimum coding parameters for a H.264 AVC video codec in a memory and bandwidth constrained environment, which minimises codec complexity and video distortion. The encoding/decoding parameters that have a significant impact on the performance of the codec are initially obtained through experimental analysis. A mathematical formulation by means of regression is subsequently used to associate these parameters with the relevant objectives and define a Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO) problem. Solutions to the optimization problem are reached through a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II). It is shown that the proposed framework is flexible on the number of objectives that can jointly be optimized. Furthermore, any of the objectives can be included as constraints depending on the requirements of the services to be supported. Practical use of the proposed framework is described using a case study that involves video content transmission to a mobile hand.


Author(s):  
Ömer Faruk Yılmaz ◽  
Mehmet Bülent Durmuşoğlu

Problems encountered in real manufacturing environments are complex to solve optimally, and they are expected to fulfill multiple objectives. Such problems are called multi-objective optimization problems(MOPs) involving conflicting objectives. The use of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) to find solutions for these problems has increased over the last decade. It has been shown that MOEAs are well-suited to search solutions for MOPs having multiple objectives. In this chapter, in addition to comprehensive information, two different MOEAs are implemented to solve a MOP for comparison purposes. One of these algorithms is the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), the effectiveness of which has already been demonstrated in the literature for solving complex MOPs. The other algorithm is fast Pareto genetic algorithm (FastPGA), which has population regulation operator to adapt the population size. These two algorithms are used to solve a scheduling problem in a Hybrid Manufacturing System (HMS). Computational results indicate that FastPGA outperforms NSGA-II.


Author(s):  
A. K. Nandi ◽  
K. Deb

The primary objective in designing appropriate particle reinforced polyurethane composite which will be used as a mould material in soft tooling process is to minimize the cycle time of soft tooling process by providing faster cooling rate during solidification of wax/plastic component. This chapter exemplifies an effective approach to design particle reinforced mould materials by solving the inherent multi-objective optimization problem associated with soft tooling process using evolutionary algorithms. In this chapter, first a brief introduction of multi-objective optimization problem with the key issues is presented. Then, after a short overview on the working procedure of genetic algorithm, a well- established multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, namely NSGA-II along with various performance metrics are described. The inherent multi-objective problem in soft tooling process is demonstrated and subsequently solved using an elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, NSGA-II. Multi-objective optimization results obtained using NSGA-II are analyzed statistically and validated with real industrial application. Finally the fundamental results of this approach are summarized and various perspectives to the industries along with scopes for future research work are pointed out.


Author(s):  
A. K. Nandi ◽  
K. Deb

The primary objective in designing appropriate particle reinforced polyurethane composite which will be used as a mould material in soft tooling process is to minimize the cycle time of soft tooling process by providing faster cooling rate during solidification of wax/plastic component. This chapter exemplifies an effective approach to design particle reinforced mould materials by solving the inherent multi-objective optimization problem associated with soft tooling process using evolutionary algorithms. In this chapter, first a brief introduction of multi-objective optimization problem with the key issues is presented. Then, after a short overview on the working procedure of genetic algorithm, a well- established multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, namely NSGA-II along with various performance metrics are described. The inherent multi-objective problem in soft tooling process is demonstrated and subsequently solved using an elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, NSGA-II. Multi-objective optimization results obtained using NSGA-II are analyzed statistically and validated with real industrial application. Finally the fundamental results of this approach are summarized and various perspectives to the industries along with scopes for future research work are pointed out.


Author(s):  
Andrew J. Robison ◽  
Andrea Vacca

A gerotor gear generation algorithm has been developed that evaluates key performance objective functions to be minimized or maximized, and then an optimization algorithm is applied to determine the best design. Because of their popularity, circular-toothed gerotors are the focus of this study, and future work can extend this procedure to other gear forms. Parametric equations defining the circular-toothed gear set have been derived and implemented. Two objective functions were used in this kinematic optimization: maximize the ratio of displacement to pump radius, which is a measure of compactness, and minimize the kinematic flow ripple, which can have a negative effect on system dynamics and could be a major source of noise. Designs were constrained to ensure drivability, so the need for additional synchronization gearing is eliminated. The NSGA-II genetic algorithm was then applied to the gear generation algorithm in modeFRONTIER, a commercial software that integrates multi-objective optimization with third-party engineering software. A clear Pareto front was identified, and a multi-criteria decision-making genetic algorithm was used to select three optimal designs with varying priorities of compactness vs low flow variation. In addition, three pumps used in industry were scaled and evaluated with the gear generation algorithm for comparison. The scaled industry pumps were all close to the Pareto curve, but the optimized designs offer a slight kinematic advantage, which demonstrates the usefulness of the proposed gerotor design method.


2013 ◽  
Vol 694-697 ◽  
pp. 2850-2855
Author(s):  
Ting Fang Yu ◽  
Xia Wang ◽  
Chun Hua Peng

This paper discussed application of modified non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (MNSGA-II) to multi-objective optimization of a coal-fired boiler combustion, the two objectives considered are minimization of overall heat loss and NOx emissions from coal-fired boiler. In the first step, BP neural network was proposed to establish a mathematical model predicting the NOx emissions & overall heat loss from the boiler. Then, BP model and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) were combined to gain the optimal operating parameters. According to the problems such as premature convergence and uneven distribution of Pareto solutions exist in the application of NSGA-II, corresponding improvements in the crowded-comparison operator and crossover operator were performed. The optimal results show that MNSGA-II can be a good tool to solve the problem of multi-objective optimization of a coal-fired combustion, which can reduce NOx emissions and overall heat loss effectively for the coal-fired boiler. Compared with NSGA-II, the Pareto set obtained by the MNSGA-II shows a better distribution and better quality.


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