Improved tabu search algorithm for the rectangle packing problem with equilibrium constraints

The rectangle packing problem with equilibrium constraints has wide practical significance in industrial applications. An improved tabu search algorithm which incorporates the heuristic corner-occupying strategy and the dichotomous search strategy is put forward for solving this problem. In the process of tabu search, this paper improves the traditional tabu objects and the acceptance criteria of the current configuration. Four representative instances from the current literature are tested. For all the instances, the proposed algorithm obtains the smaller radii than the genetic algorithm and the compact algorithm with particle swarm local search. The computational results show that the proposed algorithm is an effective method for the rectangle packing problem with equilibrium constraints. Copyright © 2012 Binary Information Press.