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Optimizing facility layout planning for reconfigurable

manufacturing system based on chaos genetic algorithm

Xiaoxiao Wei, Sicong Yuan & Yuanqin Ye

To cite this article: Xiaoxiao Wei, Sicong Yuan & Yuanqin Ye (2019) Optimizing facility layout
planning for reconfigurable manufacturing system based on chaos genetic algorithm,
Production & Manufacturing Research, 7:1, 109-124, DOI: 10.1080/21693277.2019.1602486

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PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH
2019, VOL. 7, NO. 1, 109–124
https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2019.1602486

ARTICLE

Optimizing facility layout planning for reconfigurable

manufacturing system based on chaos genetic algorithm
a
Xiaoxiao Wei , Sicong Yuana,b and Yuanqin Yea
a
School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xi‘an, Xi‘an University of Architecture and Technology,
Xi‘an, Shaanxi Province, China; bCollege of Economics and Management, Xi‘an, Xi‘an University of Posts
and Telecommunications, Xi‘an, Shaanxi Province, China

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

In order to solve the problems associated with the organization of Received 26 September 2018
the dynamic facility layout in a manufacturing workshop, utilizing Accepted 29 March 2019
a chaotic generic algorithm with improved Tent mapping is pro- KEYWORDS
posed as a solution. The tent map is used to generate the initial CGA; DFLP; multi-objective
population which is distributed throughout the solution space. optimization; partheno
Excellent individuals have the Genetic Algorithm optimization genetic algorithm
with elitist strategy applied to them. Partially matched crossover
and mutation operations for single-period-layout encoding string
are executed, and adaptive chaotic disturbance is increased to the
superior individual. This method is an important innovation in the
field of layout optimization by chaotic genetic algorithm. Finally,
the paper compares several algorithms by analyzing sample out-
comes of their respective implementations. It is also more con-
venient to verify the T-CGA method, which is better than the
traditional method in solving the accuracy and the efficiency.

1. Introduction
The change in market demand has forced the enterprises to adopt a more flexible
production mode in order to stay competitive. This flexibility should be established
across different varieties, large, many few varieties and small batches. In this case, new
equipment acquisition, shop layout adjustment or reconstruction inevitably become
more frequent. Frequent changes in the workshop layout will inevitably bring equip-
ment disassembly and relocation, as well as the cost of downtime and tardiness. The
quality of a layout has impacts on material handling costs, production efficiency and
safety. In flexible production environments, the traditional static facility layout, which
does not consider the dynamic characteristics of the market, is more costly and can
hardly satisfy the requirements of the enterprise. Therefore, it is imperative to study the
dynamic facility layout problem. Due to the complexity and diversity of the actual
layout problem, a complete set of optimization models and methods for handling
dynamic facility layout problems is urgently needed. The dynamic equipment layout
problem (DFLP) is imperative in the total planning time to optimize the equipment

CONTACT Xiaoxiao Wei [email protected] Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an
710055, China
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
110 X. WEI ET AL.

layout problem. This is on the basis of the SFLP from the perspective of multi-periods
(Li & Qiu, 2007). The study of the problem has important theoretical significance and
practical value in engineering.

2. Literature review
In dynamic facilities layout, studies can be grouped mainly under two tracks, studies
that used exact optimization models and those that used heuristic layout models. By
implementing an exact optimization approach to assign the facilities in the site layout,
literature (Baykasoglu, Dereli, & Sabuncu, 2006; Şahin, Ertoğral, & Türkbey, 2010;
Zhu & Ye, 2009) research on dynamic layout problems is based on discrete layouts. In
the study of the large-scale DFLP problem, Baykasoğlu and Gindy (2001) proved that
the proposed algorithm was effective by the simulated annealing algorithm.
McKendall, Shang, and Kuppusamy (2006) designed a forward and backward two-
stage SA algorithm to solve the DFLP problem. Wang, Hu, and Ku (2005) and
Garcia-Hernandez, Pierreval, and Salas-Morera et al. (2013) have used the improved
genetic algorithm to optimize the unequal area facilities layout problem. In addition
to GA and SA, the construction, improvement and consummation of other intelligent
algorithms are also the focus of DFLP research. Hosseini-Nasab and Emami (2013)
proposed the use of a hybrid particle swarm algorithm to solve the problem by coding
and decoding method specially applied to DFLP. This was so that the discreet solution
spaces could correspond to the continuous solution spaces on a one on one basis in
the particle swarm. Pourvaziri and Pierreval (2017) have used an analytical approach
which uses open queuing network theory and is based on a quadratic assignment
problem formulation. Moslemipour, Lee, and Loong (2018) proposed a novel hybrid
algorithm in which simulated annealing algorithm starts with a population of good
initial solutions constructed by combining ant colony, clonal selection, and robust
layout design approaches. Al Hawarneh, Bendak, and Ghanim, (2019) proposed a grid
layout model to accommodate safety as a design parameter beside cost using a grid
system for layout design based on the safety proximity level between facilities.
Applying these algorithms with the aim of to optimizing the dynamic facility
layout problem can meet the workshop application requirements and result in profit
value. Most studies in layout optimization only consider material handling fees,
a few discuss equipment movement fees, and a few others consider equipment
replacement costs. It is extremely important and urgent to form complete and
systematic dynamic layout optimization theories and methods, because of the
characteristics of combination optimization of large-scale dynamic layout and the
defects of heuristic algorithms.
Chaos is the inherent characteristic of nonlinear systems, which have randomness,
ergodicity and sensitivity to initial values. At present, a lot of research results are very rich
in the chaotic genetic algorithm. The earliest chaotic neural network utilizing chaotic
initial value sensitivity and other chaotic dynamic properties were proposed by Aihara,
Takabe, and Toyoda (1990). It is usually used to solve combinatorial optimization
problems such as traveling traders and maintenance scheduling Jovanovic and
Kazerounian (1998) have developed a method has been applied to mechanical engineering
 PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 111

design. This method uses a Chaos Fractal optimization algorithm combined with the
initial sensitivity and fractal nature of chaos to achieve its results. Wang Yong-Feng, Yu,
and Yongming et al. (2012) put forward the idea that the chaos genetic algorithm is
applied to logistic distribution routing issue with the time window. Gao, Ge, and Wu
(2016) utilize the infinite folding chaotic map, which is more homogeneous, to realize the
particle initialization, and the cooperation between cloud genetic algorithm and PSO
algorithm. Furthermore, they use it to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm through
global convergence, time complexity and experimental analysis. Ye, Liu, and Jiang (2018)
take advantage of the Logistic chaos sequence. The algorithm ensures the accuracy of the
cross and variation points of Genetic Algorithm. The algorithm is applied to the experi-
mental simulation of aeronautical planning in this dissertation.Simulation results showed
that this method improved the precision of the genetic algorithm.
Thus, the hybrid algorithm inherits the inversion of the genetic algorithm and the
ergodicity of the chaotic search, thereby mitigating the usual challenge of the genetic algorithm
falling into the local optimum, and consequently, greatly improving the searching speed and
global convergence. It is a very suitable algorithm for solving facility layout problems.
This paper has developed a dynamic layout model of unequal area equipment in
multiple planning periods. This model uses the minimum cost of material transporta-
tion, the minimum cost of equipment replacement and the maximum area utilization of
three targets. Chaos genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimal layout scheme in the
whole production planning period.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 summarizes the model
establishment. Algorithm design is explained in section 3. Section 4 compares the
three algorithms and also provides a concrete workshop example. Section 5 summarizes
the whole paper and gives some suggestions for future works.

3. Problem definition
The Dynamic layout optimization Model of workshop equipment is the optimal layout
design under pproduction planning periods in the precondition of the future.
The Dynamic layout optimization Model of workshop equipment is the optimal
layout design under pproduction planning periods in the precondition of the future.
According to the relationship between the material flows of each sub-planning period,
the best position of equipment in each period can be determined. This makes the total
cost of workshop operation the smallest in the whole planning period. Use St to indicate
the layout scheme of n units in the t period of the sub-plan.


S ¼ S1 ; S2 ; ::: ; Sp
St ¼ ðxt1 ; xt2 ; ::: ; xtn Þ; t 2 ½1; p

Therefore, one of the plans for pproduction planning periods can be expressed as:


S ¼ ðx11 ; x12 ; :::; x1n Þ; ðx21 ; x22 ; :::; x2n Þ; :::; ðxp1 ; xp2 ; :::; xpn Þ
112 X. WEI ET AL.

3.1. Problem assumption

Based on ref. (Xu, Yang, & Li et al., 2011), the layout problem of the workshop is
simplified to the layout of dynamic multi-line equipment under constraint condi-
tions. Figure 1, below, shows the layout diagram of a single sub-planning period
(L and H respectively indicate the length and width of the workshop).
According to the dynamic branch strategy, when the sum of the lengths of all the
equipments and the spacing between the equipments in one row exceeds the workshop
lengthL. The previous line must then be rearranged in order from left to right.
Respectively mi ; mj ; mk indicate the need for the layout devicei; j; k. In the case of device
i and j, xðtÞi and yðtÞj respectively represent the xcoordinate and the ycoordinateof the
center point of the device i and j in the sub-plan period t. li ; wi are the length and the
width of equipment i respectively. hik indicates the minimum horizontal spacing
between the device i and the adjacent device k. The hj0 indicates the minimum hor-
izontal spacing between the device j and the workshop boundary, where the equipment
is the same as the left and right boundary spacing of the workshop. v0 is the spacing
between the first line of equipment and the shop floor, and v is the vertical line spacing
between devices.

3.2. Mathematical model

3.2.1. Model constraints
During each planning period, the rectangular equipment is laid out in a continuous
shop floor. The constraints that need to be met for each period are:

(1) Spacing constraints: to ensure that a certain distance between adjacent equip-
ment is kept. The equipment logistics direction is parallel to the workshop center
line, logistics costs are only related to the distance, regardless of the direction.

L
Y
............
hj0
mj
li v
H
wi mi mk
y( t ) j
x( t ) i hik
v0

O X
Figure 1. Schematic layout in a single child planning period.
 PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 113

(2) Boundary constraints: This is the layout of the device in the axis. The axis cannot
exceed the limits of the shop floor. Because the layout uses a dynamic line feed
strategy, the device layout in the axis direction does not exceed the shop area,
without the need to repeat the constraints. As long as the equipment is in the
direction of the arrow to ensure that the arrangement will not exceed the
workshop area.
(3) Re-layout constraints: in any two consecutive planning periods, if the center of
the device changes, you can determine the equipment in the next issue of re-
layout. That satisfies the following formula:
   
XðtÞi  Xðt1Þi Þ0 or yðtÞi  yðt1Þi Þ0

3.2.2. Objective function

In this paper, the mathematical model of the multi-objective optimization problem in
a dynamic layout is as follows:
(1) the minimum material handling costs
Cis the total cost of material handling,p is the planned period, and n is the number of
equipment to be arranged in the workshop. Ptij is the handling cost per unit distance
between units i and j in sub-period t. Qtij is the material handling frequency between
units i and j in sub-period t.Dtij is the distance between devices between units i and j in
sub-period t, and s is the total number of rows in the device layout. The following
formula shows:
X
p X
n X
n
min C ¼ min ðPtij Qtij Dtij Þ (1)
t¼1 i¼1 j¼1

i; j ¼ 1; 2; . . . ; n; t ¼ 1; 2; . . . ; p

   
Dtij ¼ xðtÞi  xðtÞj  þ yðtÞi  yðtÞj  (2)

The solution formulas for the horizontal and vertical coordinates between adjacent
equipment in each sub-plan period tare as follows:
xðtÞk  xðtÞi þ ðli þ lk Þ=2 þ hik (3)

yðtÞk ¼ ðs  1Þv þ v0 ; s ¼ 1; 2; . . . ; n (4)

(2) Minimum equipment replacement cost

R as the cost of equipment replacement, it can be simplified for the device mobile
cost and installation, removal costs. And ci is equipment a per unit distance of the
mobile costs. UðtÞðtþ1Þi is the distance moved for the location of the device i from sub-
period t to t þ 1, which is the distance between the center points of this device between
adjacent sub-planning periods. ris the number of cycles in which the device’s position
has changed, and Tr is the loss of devices caused by installation or disassembly each
time, and can be reduced to a fixed value.
114 X. WEI ET AL.

!
r X
X n
min R ¼ min ci UðtÞðtþ1Þi þ rTr (5)
t¼1 i¼1

   
UðtÞðtþ1Þi ¼ xðtÞi  xðtþ1Þi  þ yðtÞi  yðtþ1Þi  (6)
(3) Maximum utilization of workshop area
Sl is the total area of the enveloping rectangle of the layout plan during the sub-
planning stage. .Si , which is the product of the equipment’s length and width, is the
floor area of the equipment, i.The rectangular envelope area of the layout device is
smaller, and the larger the workshop area utilization, the more compact the layout.
  n
li li wi wi o
Sl ¼ maxðxðtÞi þ Þ  minðxðtÞi  Þ  maxðyðtÞi þ Þ  minðyðtÞi  Þ (7)
2 2 2 2

P
n
X
p Si
1 i¼1
Amax ¼ max (8)
p t¼1
Sl

The total floor space of nequipment is a certain value, so the maximum utilization of
the workshop area can also be expressed as

1X
p
Amax ¼ min Sl (9)
p t¼1

From the above analysis, we can get the combined optimization objective function of
the dynamic layout of workshop equipment.
X
p X
n X
n X r X n
1X
p
Fmin ¼ α1 β1 Ptij Qtij Dtij þ α2 β2 ð ci UðtÞðtþ1Þi þ rTr Þ þ α3 β3 Sl
t¼1 i¼1 j¼1 t¼1 i¼1
p t¼1
(10)
Among them, α1 ; α2 ; α3 are normalization factors, the first two are cost units, and the
last one is an area unit, in order to ensure the unity of the dimensions, and make the
minimum of their optimal results close to 1, so
1 1 1
α1 ¼ ; α2 ¼ ; α3 ¼ (11)
p P
P n P
n r P
P n P
p
Ptij Qtij Dtij ci UðtÞðtþ1Þi þ rTr Þ 1
p Sl
t¼1 i¼1 j¼1 t¼1 i¼1 t¼1

β1 ; β2 ; β3 are weighting factors and must satisfyβ1 þ β2 þ β3 ¼ 1. To ensure that the

device in the last row in the Y-direction is placed within the size of the shop floor; the
penalty function is set as shown in the following equation. Pk is the penalty for the Y
direction beyond the workshop area, and T is the positive large penalty valueM.

0; others
Pk ¼
T; ðs  1Þv þ v0 þ 0:5 maxðwi Þ > H (12)
T¼M
 PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 115

The fitness function is defined as

1
fitðxÞ ¼ (13)
Fmin þ Pk

4. Solution methodology
4.1. Proposed solution method
Chaos refers to the seemingly random irregular motion in the deterministic system, the
pseudorandomness, the ergodic and extreme sensitivity to the initial conditions which
is the basic characteristic of chaos mapping output. It can be used in the genetic
algorithm to design and maintain the diversity of the evolution of groups (Cui &
Zhao, 2007). Based on the chaos search and the inversion of genetic algorithm optimi-
zation, this paper proposes a chaotic genetic algorithm (T_CGA) based on Tent
mapping. The main idea is to use the ergodic merit of chaotic motion to select the
initial population and improve the quality of the solution by applying the chaotic small
perturbation to the current optimal solution.
In the Logistic map space [0, 1], there are 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 discontinuous points.
The uneven distribution of the mapping points which is ‘high sides and low middle’ will
directly affect the convergence speed of the whole iteration and reduce the efficiency of
the algorithm. Tent mapping, also known as tent map, is a one-dimensional mapping
method that is sensitive to initial values. The mapping equation is:
(
ðuÞ ðuÞ
ðuþ1Þ 2xi ; 0  xi  0:5
xi ¼ ðuÞ ðuÞ (14)
2ð1  xi Þ; 0:5 < xi  1

In the formula, i represents the serial number of the chaotic variable, the u represents
the serial number of the population, and u ¼ 0; 1; 2; . . . represents the chaotic variable
which is in the interval [0, 1]. Due to the finite length of computer word, the Tent
mapping iterations fall into the fixed point or small-period cycle (Ye et al., 2018), which
greatly reduces the diversity of population. The following improvements have been
made to the sequence generation method:
Step1: Take the initial value x0 (avoid falling into the fixed point or the small cycle
point);
Step2: Iterate through Equation (1) to generate the x sequence;
Step3: If the iteration reaches the maximum number of times, go to step5; Else If
xðkÞ ¼ f0; 0:25; 0:5; 0:75gjj xðkÞ ¼ xðkiÞ ; i ¼ f1; 2; 3; 4gGo to step4; else go back
to step2;
Step4: re-assignment, xðkÞ ¼ xðkÞ randð0; 1Þ, return to step2;
Step5: Terminate the operation and save the x sequence.

4.2. Chaotic genetic algorithm based on Tent mapping

The proposed steps of the chaotic genetic algorithm are as follows:
116 X. WEI ET AL.

Step1. The chaotic variables are initialized, and the Logistic mapping is selected, as
shown in the formula (14)

xi ðuþ1Þ ¼ μi xi ðuÞ ð1  xi ðuÞ Þ (15)

In the formula, i represents the sequence number of the chaotic variable, the u denotes
the population ordinal,u ¼ 0; 1; 2; . . . ; C; xi represents the chaotic variable,0  xi  1;
the μi represents the attractor,μi ¼ 4. The xi is transformed into the variable optimiza-
tion interval. Then, the result is theCgroup solution of n equipment arrangement in p
plan periods.
By calculating the fitness value of each group, the feasible solution of the first N
(population size) with large fitness value is selected to form the initial population, and
each individual in the initial population is encoded by the device serial number.
Step2. We calculate the fitness value of the first N populations, and in descending order,
find out the average fitness, and compare it with the maximum value. If the average fitness
value and the maximum fitness value satisfy the formula (16), then the optimization
process is concluded and the optimal value is output, otherwise, move to the next step.
 
1 X n 
 
 fitðxi 0 Þ  fitðxi 0 Þmax  < ε (16)
n i¼1 

(s is one of the minor positive numbers which is given in advance).

Step3. The 10% of groups with the greatest adaptability in the previous generation
adopt a retention mechanism while the other 90% is selected, crossed and mutated by
these genetic manipulations.
In order to avoid the generation of illegal offspring and to ensure the new individuals
obtained through genetic manipulation are feasible solutions, the single parent genetic
algorithm is used to select, cross and mutate the layout string, respectively, in each
period. This then ensures a whole chromosome is formed by concatenation of the
layout string of the sub-individual in each period. The operation is as follows:
(1) Selection.
The pair of chromosomes which are the layout string of the father’s generation in
each period is selected by Roulette Law.
Each period layout string of the father’s generation selects a pair of chromosomes by
roulette. They choose the individual with high adaptability and repeat the election
so far.
(2) Crossover.
Two intersection points ‘|’ are randomly set for the first layout string of two parent
individuals, one matching segment is determined, and then the first-period layout
string of two sub-individuals are generated according to the mapping relationship
given by the middle segment between the two intersection points in the two parent
individuals. The crossover strategy is shown in Figure 2:
↓ ↓ Intersection points
parent individual A (2 8 × 7 5 1 × 3 4 6）
parent individual B (3 1 × 4 2 8 × 5 7 6）
↓ Matching
sub-individual A0 (x x | 4 2 8 | x x x）
 PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 117

Intersection points
parent individual A (2 8 | 7 5 1 | 3 4 6)
parent individual B (3 1 | 4 2 8 | 5 7 6)
Matching
sub-individual A' (x x | 4 2 8 | x x x)
sub-individual B' (x x | 7 5 1 | x x x)
Mapping relationship
sub-individual A' (5 1 | 4 2 8 | 3 7 6)
sub-individual B' (3 8 | 7 5 1 | 2 4 6)
Figure 2. Crossover operation.

sub-individual B0 (x x | 7 5 1 | x x x）
↓ Mapping relationship
sub-individual A0 (5 1 × 4 2 8 × 3 7 6）
sub-individual B0 (3 8 × 7 5 1 × 2 4 6）
By means of this crossover strategy, it is a valid and feasible solution to concatenate
the various period layout strings of the obtained sub-individual.
(3) Variation. Randomly select a certain layout string and use the mutation operator to
perform the mutation operation.
Finally, the new solution is added to the population. With the elitist retention strategy,
the optimal solution for each iteration is preserved. When the number of terminations G is
exceeded or the convergence condition is satisfied, the optimal value is output.
STEP4. Add a chaotic perturbation to each variable according to formula (17) for the
optimal solution of the current generation. δ is the vector of the current optimal
solution where individual ðS1 ; S2 ; . . . ; Sp Þ maps to the interval [0,1], and δk is the
chaotic vector after iteration k times. δ0k is the chaotic vector after perturbation, which
can be calculated by formula (17). The value of θ in the formula (18) is between (0, 1),
and it decreases as the number of iterations increases. m is an integer, that depends on
the objective function. The range of chaotic perturbation decreases with increases in
algebra. This can guarantee both a large-scale search at the initial stage of the iteration,
which ensures that the optimal solution appears in the range, and the convergence of
the later acceleration to the global optimal solution. In this paper, the chaotic perturba-
tion parameter m is chosen to be 3.k is the number of chaotic iterations. ðk ¼ 1;   Þ

δk 0 ¼ ð1  θÞδ  þθδk (17)

 
k  1m

θ¼1  (18)
k 
118 X. WEI ET AL.

Start

The chaotic variables are initialized and

generate initial populations

Yes
Calculate the fitness value in descending
order

No
90% chromosomes with 10% good
less fitness chromosomes

Reservation
Cross and mutation

Calculate the fitness value in descending

order

No

Get the current

generation optimal Termination
solution condition
Yes

Add a
chaotic Output optimal value
perturbation

End

Figure 3. Flowchart of chaos genetic algorithm.

STEP5. Calculate the fitness of the newly generated population. If Equation (19) is
satisfied, the optimal solution is output; otherwise, return to STEP3.
jfk ðxi 0 Þ  fkþ1 ðxi 0 Þj < ε0 (19)
(ε0 is a small positive number given in advance).
The flowchart of the chaotic genetic algorithm is shown in Figure 3.

5. Instance validation
A manufacturing workshop is known to be 16 m long, and 12 m wide. According to the
production process requirements and the principle of equipment adjacent placing, the
layout of 10 units will be designed for three planning periods. If the equipments are
redesigned, the transportation cost of unit distance is di .
The size of the equipment is shown in Table 1. According to the calculated statistics,
the cost of unit materials per unit distance between equipment i and equipment j is Ptij ;
 PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 119

Table 1. Equipment dimensions.

Equipment 1 2 3 4 5
Dimensions 2.4 × 2.0 1.0 × 0.8 3.4 × 1.6 1.4 × 1.4 2.0 × 1.6

Equipment 6 7 8 9 10
Dimensions 1.6 × 1.6 1.0 × 1.6 2.8 × 1.6 1.6 × 1.6 2.4 × 1.2

and the logistics matrix between them in the sub-planning period is Qtij ðt ¼ 1; 2; 3Þ;
and the horizontal distance between them is hij . The equipment is the same distance
from the right and left edge of the workshop.
di ¼ ½120 40 160 50 100 60 40 100 60 70Yuan.

di ¼ ½120401605010060401006070

2 3
0 0:5 0:2 0:3 0:3 0:5 0:3 0:4 0:3 0:5
6 0:5
6 0 0:6 0:5 0:5 0:4 0:3 0:4 0:2 0:5 7
7
6 7
6 0:2 0:6 0 0:4 0:3 0:2 0:6 0:2 0:3 0:6 7
6 7
6 0:3
6 0:5 0:4 0 0:5 0:4 0:2 0:3 0:2 0:5 7 7
6 7
6 0:3 0:5 0:3 0:5 0 0:5 0:5 0:6 0:4 0:3 7
Ptij ¼ 6 7
6 0:5
6 0:4 0:2 0:4 0:5 0 0:5 0:3 0:3 0:2 7 7
6 7
6 0:3
6 0:3 0:6 0:2 0:5 0:5 0 0:5 0:4 0:4 7 7
6 0:4
6 0:4 0:2 0:3 0:6 0:3 0:5 0 0:3 0:2 7 7
6 7
4 0:3 0:2 0:3 0:2 0:4 0:3 0:4 0:3 0 0:2 5
0:5 0:5 0:6 0:5 0:3 0:2 0:4 0:2 0:2 0

2 3
0 1 1:8 1:8 1:2 1:4 2 1:3 1:2 1
6 1
6 0 2 2 1 1:5 1:7 1:6 1:5 17
7
6 7
6 1:8 2 0 1 1 2 1 1:5 1:3 17
6 7
6 1:8
6 2 1 0 1 2 1:8 1:8 1 17
7
6 7
6 1:2 1 1 1 0 1:7 1 1:7 2 17
hij ¼ 6 7
6 1:4
6 1:5 2 2 1:7 0 2 1 1 17
7
6 7
6 2
6 1:7 1 1:8 1 2 0 1:2 1 17
7
6 1:3
6 1:6 1:5 1:8 1:7 1 1:2 0 1:8 17
7
6 7
4 1:2 1:5 1:3 1 2 1 1 1:8 0 15
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
120 X. WEI ET AL.

2 3
0 330 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6
6 0 0 240 90 0 0 0 0 0 77
6 7
6 0 150 50 0 0 0 0 0 7
6 7
6
6 0 230 100 0 60 0 0 77
6 7
6 0 370 0 0 0 0 7
Q1ij ¼6 7
6
6 0 60 410 0 0 77
6 7
6
6 0 0 60 0 77
6
6 0 470 0 77
6 7
4 0 530 5
0

2 3
0 0 430 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6
6 0 0 240 0 0 0 0 0 0 77
6 7
6 0 250 180 0 0 0 0 0 7
6 7
6
6 0 490 0 0 0 0 0 77
6 7
6 0 670 0 0 0 0 7
Q2ij ¼6 7
6
6 0 200 370 100 0 77
6 7
6
6 0 100 100 0 77
6
6 0 470 0 77
6 7
4 0 670 5
0

2 3
0 150 50 580 0 0 0 0 0 0
6
6 0 100 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 77
6
6 0 0 150 0 0 0 0 0 77
6
6 500 130 0 0 0 0 77
6 0 510 140 0 0 0 77
Q3ij ¼6
6
6 0 100 540 0 0 77
6
6 0 0 240 0 77
6
6 0 0 540 7
7
4 0 240 5
0

Using the Java-eclipse platform for programming, the basic parameter settings in the
optimization process are shown in Figure 4. In this paper, the standard genetic algorithm,
chaos genetic algorithm based on logistic mapping and T_CGA three methods are used to
simulate and calculate this example. A computer with the frequency of CPU 2.6 GHz and
a memory of 4 GB runs 50 random simulations. The comparison results are shown in Table 2.
It is known that the optimal solution refers to the operating cost of the workshop
and the utilization of the workshop area from Table 2, including the cost of material
transportation and the re-layout layout. It can be seen that the T_CGA method obtains
the best solution performance, and the corresponding three planning periods for each
 PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 121

Figure 4. The basic parameter settings in the optimization process.

Table 2. Performance comparison of three optimization algorithms.

Average
iterations
Optimization Optimal Number of times convergence The number of average iterations to Calculation
method solution to global optimal solution produce the optimal solution Time/s
GA 23775,26.7% 18 121 8.92
.L_CGA 23312,27.3% 50 83 8.02
T_CGA 21207,29.0% 50 55 7.98

phase of the layout scheme are shown in Figure 5. In this paper, the 3-phase material
flow is integrated together, the total cost of calculating static layout is 24973 Yuan, and
the workshop area utilization is 24.8%. The method reduces the total operating cost by
15% and the area utilization rate by 4.2%.
In addition, the examples in the text are solved simultaneously with the improved
GM in the text (Guo, Xu, & Sun, 2011), the NSGA-II in the text (Huang, Ai-Ping, &
Lei, 2014), and the ant colony algorithm in the text (Zhang, Kan, & Yue, 2007).
A comparison of the results is shown in Table 3.
The above comparative analysis clearly shows that the T_CGA optimization algo-
rithm designed in this paper is slightly better, than the other algorithms, at solving the
problems of accuracy and speed. T_CGA optimization algorithm also proved to have
reliable search ability and search speed. Results of the calculation show that the T_CGA
optimization algorithm has obvious advantages in reducing the operating cost of the
workshop. However, cost reduction in the dynamic layout is not always as much as in
the static layout. When the device handling cost is too high, the device replacement cost
increases, thereby increasing the total cost of the dynamic layout. In such cases,
improving efficiency would depend on the actual situation of the workshop layout.
122 X. WEI ET AL.

Figure 5. T_CGA optimal solution display interface.

Table 3. Performance comparison of T_CGA, improved GA, NSGA-II, and ant colony algorithm.
Data sources Layout properties Solution algorithm Workshop operating expenses
Text (Guo et al., 2011) n= 8 Improved GA 435,155
p= 3 T_CGA 420,358（↓3.4%）
Text (Huang et al., 2014) n= 12 NSGA-II 60,110
p= 3 T_CGA 58,427（↓2.8%）
Text (Zhang et al., 2007) n= 14 ACO 7998
p= 2 T_CGA 7750（↓3.1%）

6. Conclusion
The Chaos algorithm works on multiple fronts. It synthesizes the inversion of the genetic
algorithm and the ergodicity of the chaos search as well as the crossover mutation operator
and the elitist retention strategy based on the single parent genetic algorithm, which has the
advantage of wide search space and fast convergence with the global optimum when solving
combinational optimization and multi-objective optimization problems. This paper has
developed the steps of designing the algorithm, then it carried out the layout optimization
of 10 unequal area equipment in three planned periods, furthermore, a concrete workshop
example was put forward. The simulation results show the superiority of the chaotic genetic
algorithm over the genetic algorithm because it has the advantage of wide search spaces
high efficiency and global convergence. Thus, providing a new way solves the problem of
dynamic continuous equipment layout.
The shop floor layout problem solved in this paper is a medium-scale, single-layer,
dynamic workshop floor layout, but further research can be done for more complex
multi-layer facility layout. This paper does not pay much attention to a series of other
constraint indicators such as the balance of the production line during the operation of
the system and the processing time of the parts. For more insightful research on
efficient production, the next study will have to consider turnaround time.
 PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 123

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [61402393].

ORCID
Xiaoxiao Wei http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7101-4846

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