Reinforcement Learning Enhanced Multi-Objective Social Network Search Algorithm for Engineering Design Problems

Abstract

To address real-world engineering design optimization problems, this study proposes a reinforcement learning enhanced multi-objective social network search algorithm (QMOSNS), which represents a novel approach for solving multi-objective optimization problems. QMOSNS utilizes Halton sequences for population initialization to enhance the diversity of the initial population. A multi-objective archive mechanism is implemented to store Pareto-optimal solutions and select parental individuals through a reassigned fitness evaluation strategy. Furthermore, Q-learning is incorporated to adaptively select mutation operators, thereby dynamically balancing the algorithm’s exploration and exploitation capabilities. QMOSNS was rigorously evaluated through 50 prominent case studies, including 22 unconstrained multi-objective benchmark problems, 18 constrained multi-objective benchmark problems, and 10 multi-objective engineering design problems, to comprehensively validate its computational capabilities and effectiveness. Moreover, statistical results obtained using consistent performance metrics were compared with those of other highly regarded algorithms to ensure a fair and objective performance assessment. The comparative results show that QMOSNS is robust and superior in handling a wide variety of multi-objective problems. This study underscores the efficacy of integrating reinforcement learning with social intelligence for tackling complex multi-objective optimization in engineering and computational domains.