A Proactive Robust Scheduling Method for Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Operations with Stochastic Durations

Xichao Su,Jie Liu,Yu Wu,Wei Han,Yong Zhang

doi:10.1155/2018/6932985

Abstract

The operations on the aircraft carrier flight deck are carried out in a time-critical and resource-constrained environment with uncertainty, and it is of great significance to optimize the makespan and obtain a robust schedule and resource allocation plan for a greater sortie generation capacity and better operational management of an aircraft carrier. In this paper, a proactive robust optimization method for flight deck scheduling with stochastic operation durations is proposed. Firstly, an operation on node-flow (OONF) network is adopted to model the precedence relationships of multi-aircraft operations, and resource constraints categorized into personnel, support equipment, workstation space, and supply resource are taken into consideration. On this basis, a mathematical model of the robust scheduling problem for flight deck operation (RSPFDO) is established, and the goal is to maximize the probability of completing within the limitative makespan (PCLM) and minimize the weighted sum of expected makespan and variance of makespan (IRM). Then, in terms of proactive planning, both serial and parallel schedule generation schemes for baseline schedule and robust personnel allocation scheme and equipment allocation adjustment scheme for resource allocation are designed. In terms of executing schedules, an RSPFDO-oriented preconstraint scheduling policy (CPC) is proposed. To optimize the baseline schedule and resource allocation, a hybrid teaching-learning-based optimization (HTLBO) algorithm is designed which integrates differential evolution operators, peak crossover operator, and learning-automata-based adaptive variable neighborhood search strategy. Simulation results shows that the HTLBO algorithm outperforms both some other state-of-the-art algorithms for deterministic cases and some existing algorithms for stochastic project scheduling, and the robustness of the flight deck operations can be improved with the proposed resource allocation schemes and CPC policy.

Highlights

Aircraft carrier is the largest vehicle sailing on the sea, and the aircraft is the main weapon equipped on it
The aircraft can turn into fight only when a certain number of them with different types are introduced on the carrier, and the aircraft must be well maintained before they are launched by the catapult
Before the aircraft finishes launching on the flight deck, the pre-flight preparation takes up the most time of the deck cycle and is the most crucial stage as the failure and delay usually occur in this stage [3]

Summary

Introduction

Aircraft carrier is the largest vehicle sailing on the sea, and the aircraft is the main weapon equipped on it. The aircraft can turn into fight only when a certain number of them with different types are introduced on the carrier, and the aircraft must be well maintained before they are launched by the catapult. A team of aircraft is required to be launched within a short period of time. On the flight deck, a series of operations, such as landing, towing, inspection, fueling, arming, oxygen filling, nitrogen charging, taxiing, and launching, are required to be performed within one deck cycle to keep high-intensity sortie rates [2]. Before the aircraft finishes launching on the flight deck, the pre-flight preparation takes up the most time of the deck cycle and is the most crucial stage as the failure and delay usually occur in this stage [3]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion