Multiobjective optimization by genetic algorithms: application to safety systems

When attempting to optimize the design of engineered systems, the analyst is frequently faced with the demand of achieving several targets (e.g. low costs, high revenues, high reliability, low accident risks), some of which may very well be in conflict. At the same time, several requirements (e.g. maximum allowable weight, volume etc.) should also be satisfied. This kind of problem is usually tacked by focusing the optimization on a single objective which may be a weighed combination of some of the targets of the design problem and imposing some constraints to satisfy the other targets and requirements. This approach. however, introduces a strong arbitrariness in the definition of the weights and constraints levels and a criticizable homogenization of physically different targets, usually all translated in monetary terms. The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to optimization in which every target is considered as a separate objective to be optimized. For an efficient search through the solution space we use a multiobjective genetic algorithm which allows us to identify a set of Pareto optimal solutions providing the decision maker with the complete spectrum of optimal solutions with respect to the various targets. Based on this information, the decision maker can select the best compromise among these objectives, without a priori introducing arbitrary weights. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.