scholarly journals A novel application of a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm in open channel flow modelling

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sharifi ◽  
M. Sterling ◽  
D. W. Knight

The Shiono and Knight method (SKM) is a simple depth-averaged flow model, based on the RANS equations which can be used to estimate the lateral distributions of depth-averaged velocity and boundary shear stress for flows in straight prismatic channels with the minimum of computational effort. However, in order to apply the SKM, detailed knowledge relating to the lateral variation of the friction factor (f), dimensionless eddy viscosity (λ) and a sink term representing the effects of secondary flow (Γ) are required. In this paper a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is used to study the lateral variation and value of these parameters for simple trapezoidal channels over a wide range of aspect ratios through the model calibration process. Based on the available experimental data, four objectives are selected and the NSGA-II algorithm is applied to several datasets. The best answer for each set is then selected based on a proposed methodology. Rules relating f, λ and Γ to the wetted parameter ratio (Pb/Pw) for a variety of situations have been developed which provide practical guidance for the engineer on choosing the appropriate parameters in the SKM model.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Joost Huizinga ◽  
Jeff Clune

Abstract An important challenge in reinforcement learning is to solve multimodal problems, where agents have to act in qualitatively different ways depending on the circumstances. Because multimodal problems are often too difficult to solve directly, it is often helpful to define a curriculum, which is an ordered set of sub-tasks that can serve as the stepping stones for solving the overall problem. Unfortunately, choosing an effective ordering for these subtasks is difficult, and a poor ordering can reduce the performance of the learning process. Here, we provide a thorough introduction and investigation of the Combinatorial Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (CMOEA), which allows all combinations of subtasks to be explored simultaneously. We compare CMOEA against three algorithms that can similarly optimize on multiple subtasks simultaneously: NSGA-II, NSGA-III and ϵ-Lexicase Selection. The algorithms are tested on a function-optimization problem with two subtasks, a simulated multimodal robot locomotion problem with six subtasks and a simulated robot maze navigation problem where a hundred random mazes are treated as subtasks. On these problems, CMOEA either outperforms or is competitive with the controls. As a separate contribution, we show that adding a linear combination over all objectives can improve the ability of the control algorithms to solve these multimodal problems. Lastly, we show that CMOEA can leverage auxiliary objectives more effectively than the controls on the multimodal locomotion task. In general, our experiments suggest that CMOEA is a promising algorithm for solving multimodal problems.


Author(s):  
J. ZAJACZKOWSKI ◽  
B. VERMA

This paper presents a novel compositional method for finding fuzzy rules in a three-layered hierarchical fuzzy structure. The proposed method incorporates a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm and a large set of initial conditions, including dynamical conditions of the system under investigation. The proposed method is focused on handling the large set of initial conditions by a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm and it can be applied to a wide range of dynamical control systems in robotics. The method has been evaluated on a dynamical system such as the inverted pendulum. The experimental results and analysis showed that the proposed method is much better than the existing methods such as amalgamation and single objective evolutionary algorithm based methods.


2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalyanmoy Deb ◽  
Manikanth Mohan ◽  
Shikhar Mishra

Since the suggestion of a computing procedure of multiple Pareto-optimal solutions in multi-objective optimization problems in the early Nineties, researchers have been on the look out for a procedure which is computationally fast and simultaneously capable of finding a well-converged and well-distributed set of solutions. Most multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) developed in the past decade are either good for achieving a well-distributed solutions at the expense of a large computational effort or computationally fast at the expense of achieving a not-so-good distribution of solutions. For example, although the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm or SPEA (Zitzler and Thiele, 1999) produces a much better distribution compared to the elitist non-dominated sorting GA or NSGA-II (Deb et al., 2002a), the computational time needed to run SPEA is much greater. In this paper, we evaluate a recently-proposed steady-state MOEA (Deb et al., 2003) which was developed based on the ε-dominance concept introduced earlier (Laumanns et al., 2002) and using efficient parent and archive update strategies for achieving a well-distributed and well-converged set of solutions quickly. Based on an extensive comparative study with four other state-of-the-art MOEAs on a number of two, three, and four objective test problems, it is observed that the steady-state MOEA is a good compromise in terms of convergence near to the Pareto-optimal front, diversity of solutions, and computational time. Moreover, the ε-MOEA is a step closer towards making MOEAs pragmatic, particularly allowing a decision-maker to control the achievable accuracy in the obtained Pareto-optimal solutions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 859-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernestas Filatovas ◽  
Algirdas Lančinskas ◽  
Olga Kurasova ◽  
Julius Žilinskas

Author(s):  
K. Shankar ◽  
Akshay S. Baviskar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to design an improved multi-objective algorithm with better spread and convergence than some current algorithms. The proposed application is for engineering design problems. Design/methodology/approach This study proposes two novel approaches which focus on faster convergence to the Pareto front (PF) while adopting the advantages of Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm-2 (SPEA2) for better spread. In first method, decision variables corresponding to the optima of individual objective functions (Utopia Point) are strategically used to guide the search toward PF. In second method, boundary points of the PF are calculated and their decision variables are seeded to the initial population. Findings The proposed methods are tested with a wide range of constrained and unconstrained multi-objective test functions using standard performance metrics. Performance evaluation demonstrates the superiority of proposed algorithms over well-known existing algorithms (such as NSGA-II and SPEA2) and recent ones such as NSLS and E-NSGA-II in most of the benchmark functions. It is also tested on an engineering design problem and compared with a currently used algorithm. Practical implications The algorithms are intended to be used for practical engineering design problems which have many variables and conflicting objectives. A complex example of Welded Beam has been shown at the end of the paper. Social implications The algorithm would be useful for many design problems and social/industrial problems with conflicting objectives. Originality/value This paper presents two novel hybrid algorithms involving SPEA2 based on: local search; and Utopia point directed search principles. This concept has not been investigated before.


Author(s):  
Sérgio Sabino ◽  
António Grilo

In the past, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were mostly used in the military operations to prevent pilot losses. Nowadays, the fast technological evolution enables the production of a class of cost-effective UAVs which can service a plethora of public and civilian applications, specially when configured to work cooperatively to accomplish a task. However, designing a communication network among the UAVs is challenging task. In this article, we propose a centralized UAV placement strategy, where UAVs are used as flying access points forming a mesh network, providing connectivity to ground nodes deployed in a target area. The geographical placement of UAVs is optimized based on a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA). The goal of the proposed scheme is to cover all ground nodes using a minimum number of UAVs, while maximizing the fulfillment of their data rate requirements. The UAVs can employ different data rates depending on the channel conditions, which are expressed by the Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR). In this work, elitist Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is used to find a set of optimal positions to place UAVs, given the positions of the ground nodes. We evaluate the trade-off between the number of UAVs used to cover the target area and the data rate requirement of the ground nodes. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can optimize the UAV placement given the requirement and the positions of the ground nodes in the geographical area.


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