Embedding a social fabric component into cultural algorithms toolkit for an enhanced knowledge-driven engineering optimization

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce the notion of a social fabric (SF) in which the expression of knowledge sources (KS) in cultural algorithms (CA) can be distributed through the population. The SF influence function is applied to the solution of selected complex engineering problems and it is shown that different parameter combinations for the SF influence function can affect the rate of solution. This enhanced approach is compared with previous approaches. Design/methodology/approach - KS are allowed to influence individuals through a network. From a theoretical perspective, individuals in the real world are viewed as participating in a variety of different networks. Several layers of such networks can be supported within a population. The interplay of these various network computations is designated as the "social fabric." Using this new influence function, when an individual is to be modified, one KS is selected to perform the modification at each generation. The selection process is done via weaving the SF, hence changing the number of individuals that follow a certain KS. Findings - Simulation experiments show that the choice of influence function has a great impact on the problem-solving phase. For some problems, a social network is not necessary to produce frequent convergence to an optimum. On the other hand, it is observed that the social network can help to focus search by allowing a KS to influence groups of individuals within a network rather than single unrelated individuals. The new approach shows a more focused convergence to optimal values in complex engineering problems with numerous constraints. Also, it is suggested that a SF configuration can be robust in the sense that a configuration that works well for one problem can also perform well in a more complex but unrelated problem. This suggests that a configuration can be evolved to solve suites of problems. Originality/value - The introduced approach is interesting for the optimization of problems of a non-linear complex nature.