A new penalty function method for constrained optimization using harmony search algorithm

This paper proposes a novel penalty function measure for constrained optimization using a new harmony search algorithm. In the proposed algorithm, a two-stage penalty is applied to the infeasible solutions. In the first stage, the algorithm can search for feasible solutions with better objective values efficiently. In the second stage, the algorithm can take full advantage of the information contained in infeasible individuals and avoid trapping in local optimum. In addition, for adapting to this method, a new harmony search algorithm is presented, which can keep a balance between exploration and exploitation in the evolution process. Numerical results of 13 benchmark problems show that the proposed algorithm performs more effectively than the ordinary methods for constrained optimization problems.