Application of the genetic algorithm to the multi-objective optimization of air bearings

A feasible solution must be obtained in a reasonable time with high probability of global optimum for a complex tribological design problem. To meet this decisive requirement in a multi-objective optimization problem, the popular and powerful genetic algorithms (GAs) are adopted in an illustrated air bearing design. In this study, the goal of multi-objective optimization is achieved by incorporating the criterion of Pareto optimality in the selection of mating groups in the GAs. In the illustrated example the diversity of group members in the evolution process is much better maintained by using Pareto ranking method than that with the roulette wheel selection scheme. The final selection of the optimal point of the points satisfied the Pareto optimality is based on the minimum-maximum objective deviation criterion. It is shown that the application of the GA with the Pareto ranking is especially useful in dealing with multi-objective optimizations. A hybrid selection scheme combining the Pareto ranking and roulette wheel selections is also presented to deal with a problem with a combined single objective. With the early generations running the Pareto ranking criterion, the resultant divergence preserved in the population benefits the overall GA's performance. The presented procedure is readily adoptable for parallel computing, which deserves further study in tribological designs to improve the computational efficiency.