Simulation-based multiobjective optimization of bridge construction processes using parallel computing

Abstract

Conventionally, efforts are made to optimize the performance of simulation models by examining several possible resource combinations. However, the number of possible resource assignments increases exponentially with the increase of the range of available resources. Many researchers combined Genetic Algorithms (GAs) and other optimization techniques with simulation models to reach the Pareto solutions. However, due to the large number of resources required in complex and large-scale construction projects, which results in a very large search space, and the limittion of the GA capability in fast convergence to the optimum results, parallel computing is required to reduce the computational time. This paper proposes the usage of Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) as the optimization engine integrated with Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to model the bridge construction processes. The parallel computing platform is applied to reduce the computation time necessary to deal with multiple objective functions and the large search space.