A hybrid algorithm for the variable-sized bin-packing problem of pipe cutting in offshore platform construction

Given that the items and bins have random sizes, the optimization of pipe cutting in offshore platform construction can be described as a variant of the variable-sized bin-packing problem. In this study, we propose a hybrid algorithm (HCHACO) that embeds a constructive heuristic based on the combined approach in the modified ant colony optimization (ACO) scheme to solve this problem. The combined approach solves the subset sum problem by the combination of the greedy operation and dynamic programming. Study and mutation operations are introduced to the modified ACO to improve local search ability. Performance comparisons between the proposed and existing algorithms are carried out through experiments on several sets of instances. Results show that the proposed algorithm is competitive with the existing state-of-the-art algorithms.