Abstracto

Performance Evaluation of Differential Evolution and Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithms for the Optimal Design of Closed Coil Helical Spring

P.Sabarinath, N.B.Karthik Babu, M.R.Thansekhar, R.Saravanan

We consider the design optimization of a closed coil helical spring where the objective is to minimize the weight of the spring. The present situation in the design of machine elements includes the minimization of weight of the individual components in order to reduce the overall weight of the machine elements. It saves both energy and cost involved. The design of mechanical devices imposes the dimensioning of number of common components like shaft, gear, cams etc. Helical compression springs are one among those common components in use for manufacturing of machines. In the present study, minimization of weight of a closed coil helical spring has been investigated. There is a scope for efficient algorithms for the design optimization of machine elements. In recent years, much attention is given to heuristics and search techniques. To solve this problem, we propose Differential Evolution Algorithm (DEA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to evolve best values of design variables in order to reduce the weight of the spring. The proposed methods are tested and the performances are evaluated. The computational results show that the proposed algorithms are very competitive for the optimal design of a closed coil helical spring.