Facilities layout design by genetic algorithms

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are a class of adaptive search techniques which have gained popularity in optimisation. In particular they have successfully been applied to NP hard problems such as those resulted in mathematical modelling of facilities design problems. The typical steps required to implement GAs are: encoding of feasible solutions into chromosomes using a representation method, evaluation of fitness function, setting of GAs parameters, selection strategy, genetic operators, and criteria to terminate the process. This paper reports on finding of a research in design of a GA solving the quadratic assignment formulation of equal and unequal-sized facilities layout problems. Comparison is made with solutions of several test problems reported in the literature. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.