Performance Enhancement of Mutation and Crossover Components by using Differential Evolution Algorithm

The Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm, under the family of Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs), is one of the powerful algorithms used for solving continuous parameter optimization challenges. The simplistic nature and robustness of the classical DE algorithm have drawn researchers’ attention towards its progressive enhancement. This work reports on an investigation of the behavioral changes of the classical DE algorithm, evoked when its mutation and crossover components are fine tuned for enhancement of DE’s performance. The scope of this study covers the implementation of a mutation level enhancement and a crossover level enhancement, followed by their integration. The mutation and the crossover components are augmented by incorporation of Centroid DE and Superior-Superior & Superior-Inferior DE logics, respectively. The algorithms appraised in this inquiry were classical DE, Centroid based DE(cDE), Superior-Superior based DE (ssDE), Superior-Inferior DE (siDE), Centroid Superior-Superior DE (cssDE) and Centroid Superior-Inferior DE (csiDE). These algorithms were evaluated by comparison of the values of their mean objective function (MOV), and their speed, at solving the global optimization problems in a simple benchmarking function suite with 4 functions of different categories. The study concludes that the DE algorithm shows enhancement performance with modified mutation and crossover components. However, with a trend for inconsistency for varying values of its control parameters and benchmarking problems.