Software prototype for solving multi-objective machining optimization problems: Application in non-conventional machining processes

Abstract

For an effective and efficient application of machining processes it is often necessary to consider more than one machining performance characteristics for the selection of optimal machining parameters. This implies the need to formulate and solve multi-objective optimization problems. In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of using meta-heuristic algorithms for solving multi-objective machining optimization problems. Although having the ability to efficiently handle highly non-linear, multi-dimensional and multi-modal optimization problems, meta-heuristic algorithms are plagued by numerous limitations as a consequence of their stochastic nature. To overcome some of these limitations in the machining optimization domain, a software prototype for solving multi-objective machining optimization problems was developed. The core of the developed software prototype is an algorithm based on exhaustive iterative search which guarantees the optimality of a determined solution in a given discrete search space. This approach is justified by a continual increase in computing power and memory size in recent years. To analyze the developed software prototype applicability and performance, four case studies dealing with multi-objective optimization problems of non-conventional machining processes were considered. Case studies are selected to cover different formulations of multi-objective optimization problems: optimization of one objective function while all the other are converted into constraints, optimization of a utility function which combines all objective functions and determination of a set of Pareto optimal solutions. In each case study optimization solutions that had been determined by past researchers using meta-heuristic algorithms were improved by using the developed software prototype.