Multiobjective optimisation of rod design in long product rolling within a quantitative and qualitative search space

Most of the algorithmic engineering design optimisation approaches reported in the literature tends to focus on quantitative (Q^T) formulation of the problem and ignore the related qualitative (Q^L) issues. These Q^L issues can be very important in real world problems, and by combining Q^L evaluation with Q^T knowledge can deliver more robust solutions. This paper presents a three objective design optimisation of long product rolling within Q^T and Q^L search space using a simplified method to address the membership function values within the optimisation framework. The study shows how Q^L issues can be incorporated into optimisation framework to achieve near optimal solutions for multi-objective problems.