Hybridizing local search algorithms for global optimization

In this paper, we combine two types of local search algorithms for global optimization of continuous functions. In the literature, most of the hybrid algorithms are produced by combination of a global optimization algorithm with a local search algorithm and the local search is used to improve the solution quality, not to explore the search space to find independently the global optimum. The focus of this research is on some simple and efficient hybrid algorithms by combining the Nelder–Mead simplex (NM) variants and the bidirectional random optimization (BRO) methods for optimization of continuous functions. The NM explores the whole search space to find some promising areas and then the BRO local search is entered to exploit optimal solution as accurately as possible. Also a new strategy for shrinkage stage borrowed from differential evolution (DE) is incorporated in the NM variants. To examine the efficiency of proposed algorithms, those are evaluated by 25 benchmark functions designed for the special session on real-parameter optimization of CEC2005. A comparison study between the hybrid algorithms and some DE algorithms and non-parametric analysis of obtained results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10589-014-9652-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. M. A. Ahandani Young Researchers Club, Islamic Azad University, Langaroud Branch, Langarud, Iran M. A. Ahandani (B) Department of Electrical Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Langaroud Branch, Langarud, Iran e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] M.-T. Vakil-Baghmisheh · M. Talebi Research Lab of Intelligent Systems, Faculty of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran e-mail: [email protected] 123 Author's personal copy