Algorithms of Container Loading Based on Combination of Knowledge and Optimization

Abstract

Container loading problems have been studied as optimization problems for packing many boxes on containers by taking account of safety, availability of capacity and easiness of carrying in and out. In this paper, A family of automatic container loading problems is studied and algorithms are proposed. The algorithms are constructed with metaheuristics and include flat or vertical loading schemes, loading efficiency, stability of loaded objects, and computational requirement.Commonsense and expert knowledge incorporation is moreover considered to combine with metaheuristics. Some numerical examples are given.