A Comparative Study of Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithms for Solving Real-World Engineering Design Problems

Real-world engineering design problems with complex objective functions under some constraints are relatively difficult problems to solve.Such design problems are widely experienced in many engineering fields,such as industry,automotive,construction,machinery,and interdisciplinary research.However,there are established optimization techniques that have shown effectiveness in addressing these types of issues.This research paper gives a comparative study of the implementation of seventeen new metaheuristic methods in order to optimize twelve distinct engineering design issues.The algorithms used in the study are listed as:transient search optimization(TSO),equilibrium optimizer(EO),grey wolf optimizer(GWO),moth-flame optimization(MFO),whale optimization algorithm(WOA),slimemould algorithm(SMA),harris hawks optimization(HHO),chimp optimization algorithm(COA),coot optimization algorithm(COOT),multi-verse optimization(MVO),arithmetic optimization algorithm(AOA),aquila optimizer(AO),sine cosine algorithm(SCA),smell agent optimization(SAO),and seagull optimization algorithm(SOA),pelican optimization algorithm(POA),and coati optimization algorithm(CA).As far as we know,there is no comparative analysis of recent and popular methods against the concrete conditions of real-world engineering problems.Hence,a remarkable research guideline is presented in the study for researchersworking in the fields of engineering and artificial intelligence,especiallywhen applying the optimization methods that have emerged recently.Future research can rely on this work for a literature search on comparisons of metaheuristic optimization methods in real-world problems under similar conditions.

A Multi-strategy Improved Snake Optimizer Assisted with Population Crowding Analysis for Engineering Design Problems

Snake Optimizer(SO)is a novel Meta-heuristic Algorithm(MA)inspired by the mating behaviour of snakes,which has achieved success in global numerical optimization problems and practical engineering applications.However,it also has certain drawbacks for the exploration stage and the egg hatch process,resulting in slow convergence speed and inferior solution quality.To address the above issues,a novel multi-strategy improved SO(MISO)with the assistance of population crowding analysis is proposed in this article.In the algorithm,a novel multi-strategy operator is designed for the exploration stage,which not only focuses on using the information of better performing individuals to improve the quality of solution,but also focuses on maintaining population diversity.To boost the efficiency of the egg hatch process,the multi-strategy egg hatch process is proposed to regenerate individuals according to the results of the population crowding analysis.In addition,a local search method is employed to further enhance the convergence speed and the local search capability.MISO is first compared with three sets of algorithms in the CEC2020 benchmark functions,including SO with its two recently discussed variants,ten advanced MAs,and six powerful CEC competition algorithms.The performance of MISO is then verified on five practical engineering design problems.The experimental results show that MISO provides a promising performance for the above optimization cases in terms of convergence speed and solution quality.

Improved Dwarf Mongoose Optimization for Constrained Engineering Design Problems

This paper proposes a modified version of the Dwarf Mongoose Optimization Algorithm (IDMO) for constrained engineering design problems. This optimization technique modifies the base algorithm (DMO) in three simple but effective ways. First, the alpha selection in IDMO differs from the DMO, where evaluating the probability value of each fitness is just a computational overhead and contributes nothing to the quality of the alpha or other group members. The fittest dwarf mongoose is selected as the alpha, and a new operator ω is introduced, which controls the alpha movement, thereby enhancing the exploration ability and exploitability of the IDMO. Second, the scout group movements are modified by randomization to introduce diversity in the search process and explore unvisited areas. Finally, the babysitter's exchange criterium is modified such that once the criterium is met, the babysitters that are exchanged interact with the dwarf mongoose exchanging them to gain information about food sources and sleeping mounds, which could result in better-fitted mongooses instead of initializing them afresh as done in DMO, then the counter is reset to zero. The proposed IDMO was used to solve the classical and CEC 2020 benchmark functions and 12 continuous/discrete engineering optimization problems. The performance of the IDMO, using different performance metrics and statistical analysis, is compared with the DMO and eight other existing algorithms. In most cases, the results show that solutions achieved by the IDMO are better than those obtained by the existing algorithms.

Multi-trial Vector-based Whale Optimization Algorithm

The Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA)is a swarm intelligence metaheuristic inspired by the bubble-net hunting tactic of humpback whales.In spite of its popularity due to simplicity,ease of implementation,and a limited number of parameters,WOA’s search strategy can adversely affect the convergence and equilibrium between exploration and exploitation in complex problems.To address this limitation,we propose a new algorithm called Multi-trial Vector-based Whale Optimization Algorithm(MTV-WOA)that incorporates a Balancing Strategy-based Trial-vector Producer(BS_TVP),a Local Strategy-based Trial-vector Producer(LS_TVP),and a Global Strategy-based Trial-vector Producer(GS_TVP)to address real-world optimization problems of varied degrees of difficulty.MTV-WOA has the potential to enhance exploitation and exploration,reduce the probability of being stranded in local optima,and preserve the equilibrium between exploration and exploitation.For the purpose of evaluating the proposed algorithm's performance,it is compared to eight metaheuristic algorithms utilizing CEC 2018 test functions.Moreover,MTV-WOA is compared with well-stablished,recent,and WOA variant algorithms.The experimental results demonstrate that MTV-WOA surpasses comparative algorithms in terms of the accuracy of the solutions and convergence rate.Additionally,we conducted the Friedman test to assess the gained results statistically and observed that MTV-WOA significantly outperforms comparative algorithms.Finally,we solved five engineering design problems to demonstrate the practicality of MTV-WOA.The results indicate that the proposed MTV-WOA can efficiently address the complexities of engineering challenges and provide superior solutions that are superior to those of other algorithms.

mLBOA:A Modified Butterfly Optimization Algorithm with Lagrange Interpolation for Global Optimization

Though the Butterfly Bptimization Algorithm(BOA)has already proved its effectiveness as a robust optimization algorithm,it has certain disadvantages.So,a new variant of BOA,namely mLBOA,is proposed here to improve its performance.The proposed algorithm employs a self-adaptive parameter setting,Lagrange interpolation formula,and a new local search strategy embedded with Levy flight search to enhance its searching ability to make a better trade-off between exploration and exploitation.Also,the fragrance generation scheme of BOA is modified,which leads for exploring the domain effectively for better searching.To evaluate the performance,it has been applied to solve the IEEE CEC 2017 benchmark suite.The results have been compared to that of six state-of-the-art algorithms and five BOA variants.Moreover,various statistical tests,such as the Friedman rank test,Wilcoxon rank test,convergence analysis,and complexity analysis,have been conducted to justify the rank,significance,and complexity of the proposed mLBOA.Finally,the mLBOA has been applied to solve three real-world engineering design problems.From all the analyses,it has been found that the proposed mLBOA is a competitive algorithm compared to other popular state-of-the-art algorithms and BOA variants.