A Hybrid Firefly Algorithm with Butterfly Optimization Algorithm and its Application

Butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA) is a new nature-inspired algorithm that imitates the food-searching and mating behavior of butterflies to solve the global optimization problem. In nature, butterflies not only determine the locate nectar or mates by smell, but also the visual function of butterflies cannot be ignored. We proposed a novel hybrid firefly algorithm (FA) with BOA, namely FA-BOA, in which we take the visual function of the similarity of fireflies and butterflies into consideration. To substantiate the optimization performance of the proposed algorithm, FA-BOA is tested on a set of eight benchmark functions. Besides, the proposed algorithm is used to solve two real-world engineering design problems (Three-bar truss design and Speed reducer design). Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is effective and outpeforms other optimization algorithms in terms of convergence accuracy and stability.