Title: A study of flexible flow shop scheduling problem with variable processing times based on improved bat algorithm

Authors: Jianyong Bian; Liying Yang

Addresses: Department of Electronic Engineering, Dong Guan Polytechnic, Dongguan, Guangdong, China ' State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation; Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, China

Abstract: In order to solve the problem of flexible flow shop scheduling with variable processing time (FFSP-VPT), a mathematical model is established, in this paper, based on analysing the processing time selection, defect detection, and rework of jobs with variable processing time. According to the characteristics of FFSP-VPT, a two-stage coding method is designed using ranked over value (ROV) coding. Based on the bat algorithm (BA), a self-adaptive elite bat algorithm (SEBA) is developed as the global optimisation method in this study by using Hamming distance-based elite individual set and adaptive position update. Crossover tests are designed to determine the optimal values of critical parameters in SEBA. Validity of SEBA on solving FFSP-VPT in actual production is verified by comparing the simulation test results of SEBA with those of other algorithms.

Keywords: flexible flow shop; bat algorithm; BA; variable processing time; Hamming distance; adaptive position update.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPM.2020.107329

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, 2020 Vol.15 No.3, pp.245 - 254

Received: 04 Sep 2018
Accepted: 21 May 2019
Published online: 15 May 2020 *

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