Simulated Tornado Optimization

We propose a swarm-based optimization algorithm inspired by air currents of a tornado. Two main air currents - spiral and updraft - are mimicked. Spiral motion is designed for exploration of new search areas and updraft movements is deployed for exploitation of a promising candidate solution. Assignment of just one search direction to each particle at each iteration, leads to low computational complexity of the proposed algorithm respect to the conventional algorithms. Regardless of the step size parameters, the only parameter of the proposed algorithm, called tornado diameter, can be efficiently adjusted by randomization. Numerical results over six different benchmark cost functions indicate comparable and, in some cases, better performance of the proposed algorithm respect to some other metaheuristics.Comment: 6 pages, 15 figures, 1 table, IEEE International Conference on Signal Processing and Intelligent System (ICSPIS16), Dec. 201

Geosimulation and Multicriteria Modelling of Residential Land Development in the City of Tehran: A Comparative Analysis of Global and Local Models

Conventional models for simulating land-use patterns are insufficient in addressing complex dynamics of urban systems. A new generation of urban models, inspired by research on cellular automata and multi-agent systems, has been proposed to address the drawbacks of conventional modelling. This new generation of urban models is called geosimulation. Geosimulation attempts to model macro-scale patterns using micro-scale urban entities such as vehicles, homeowners, and households. The urban entities are represented by agents in the geosimulation modelling. Each type of agents has different preferences and priorities and shows different behaviours. In the land-use modelling context, the behaviour of agents is their ability to evaluate the suitability of parcels of land using a number of factors (criteria and constraints), and choose the best land(s) for a specific purpose. Multicriteria analysis provides a set of methods and procedures that can be used in the geosimulation modelling to describe the behaviours of agents. There are three main objectives of this research. First, a framework for integrating multicriteria models into geosimulation procedures is developed to simulate residential development in the City of Tehran. Specifically, the local form of multicriteria models is used as a method for modelling agents’ behaviours. Second, the framework is tested in the context of residential land development in Tehran between 1996 and 2006. The empirical research is focused on identifying the spatial patterns of land suitability for residential development taking into account the preferences of three groups of actors (agents): households, developers, and local authorities. Third, a comparative analysis of the results of the geosimulation-multicriteria models is performed. A number of global and local geosimulation-multicriteria models (scenarios) of residential development in Tehran are defined and then the results obtained by the scenarios are evaluated and examined. The output of each geosimulation-multicriteria model is compared to the results of other models and to the actual pattern of land-use in Tehran. The analysis is focused on comparing the results of the local and global geosimulation-multicriteria models. Accuracy measures and spatial metrics are used in the comparative analysis. The results suggest that, in general, the local geosimulation-multicriteria models perform better than the global methods

Homogenization of diffuse delamination in composite laminates

Diffuse delamination induced by transverse cracking is usually the secondary damage mode when a composite laminate experiences tensile loading. The fist damage mechanism in such a laminate is transverse cracking which has been widely investigated with both analytical methods and " mechanism-based" constitutive laws. Delamination induced by matrix cracking is already studied extensively by analytical approaches, however, a proper homogenization way has not been proposed yet. In this paper, a modification to an available cohesive constitutive law is proposed which is capable of considering the effect of diffuse delamination without the necessity of consideration of an actual discontinuity between the layers. The proposed constitutive law is then compared against its equivalent models containing interlaminar discontinuity and it is shown that the obtained results from both models are in good. Then the proposed modification is used in Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) specimen and the obtained results are found coincident with the equivalent model with diffuse discontinuities at the interface. Finally, a damaged cross-ply laminate is modeled under the boundary conditions of tensile loading and also 3-point bending with and without the proposed cohesive modification. In tensile loading, the results of both cases are similar; however, it is shown that in bending, the unmodified cohesive law predicts the lateral stiffness larger than the proposed modification. The lateral stiffness of the equivalent model with discontinuities as crack indicates that the proposed modification is able to properly consider the lateral stiffness decrease