A bi-objective model for a scheduling problem of unrelated parallel batch processing machines with fuzzy parameters by two fuzzy multi-objective meta-heuristics

Abstract

This paper considers a bi-objective model for a scheduling problem of unrelated parallel batch processing machines to minimize the makespan and maximum tardiness, simultaneously. Each job has a specific size and the data corresponding to its ready time, due date and processing time-dependent machine are uncertain and determined by trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Each machine has a specific capacity, in which the number of jobs assigned to each batch on the machine does not violate the machine capacity. The batch processing time, the batch ready time and the batch due date are presented by the longest processing time, the longest ready time and the shortest due date of the jobs that belong to the batch, respectively. To determine the longest and shortest time, the method suggested by Jimenez et al.cite{c18} is used for ranking the fuzzy numbers. A bi-objective fuzzy mixed-integer linear programming model is proposed and solved by two exact methods (i.e., two-phase fuzzy and $epsilon$-constraint) for small-sized problems to obtain a set of Pareto solutions. Because the problem belongs to the class NP-hard, two meta-heuristics, namely fuzzy non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (FNSGA-II) and fuzzy multi-objective discrete teaching–learning-based optimization (FMODTLBO), are proposed. Then, the comparison of results is illustrated to show their performances. Furthermore, a new representation of the solutions is a matrix with two rows and $N$ columns (i.e., jobs) used to assign the jobs to the batches that processed on the machines.