Resumen de Hybrid genetic algorithms for vehicle routing problems with Time Windows
Blanton and Wainwright (1993) first introduced the application of Genetic Algorithm in Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW). Coupled with several problem specific crossover operators the algorithm achieved satisfactory results for the problems tested. However their methods have some drawbacks. In most instances the algorithm often do not converge to a feasible solution. To overcome this problem, in this paper hybrid genetic algorithms that incorporate heuristic methods developed by Solomon (1987) are proposed.
Instead of using lexicographic ordering the problem is modelled as a multi-objective optimisation problem so that several alternative solutions can be selected from the set of final solutions. It is found that these algorithms, which incorporate a modified enhanced edge-recombination operator, are superior to those proposed by Blanton and Wainwright in all the problems tested. The hybrid genetic algorithm is also extended to solve several benchmark problems and the algorithms have produced very competitive results when compared to the best solutions found in the literature.
