A decimal-coded evolutionary algorithm for constrained optimization

A proposed integer decimal coding is described and compared with corresponding binary codings. An evolutionary program for structural design optimization is developed based on a decimal coding of the design variables. It is shown that decimal coding, processed using ranking, elitism and mutation, provides a satisfactory computational basis and offers certain advantages over binary versions. Two types of mutation are used, one random and the other `intelligentʹ or beneficial. The program is applied to constrained numerical minimization problems and to constrained structural minimum weight evaluations.