Construction and Algebraic Characterizations of the Planar and Axial Transportation Problems

We describe the construction and several algebraic characterizations of the planar and axial transportation problems using the generalized inverse and the singular value decomposition of their coefficient matrices, and investigate relations between the planar and axial transportation problems. It is shown that results obtained on the planar transportation problem can be applied to the study of the solution of the axial transportation problem.     

基于LINGO的物资运输最短时间计算

根据应急物资运输问题时效性强的要求,建立了完成物资运输任务最短时间问题的数学模型,给出了利用二分法进行搜索的LINGO软件求解计算方法,显著减少了计算的迭代次数.实例结果表明,利用LINGO可以实现快速准确的决策,从而为物资运输最短时间决策提供了一种有效的决策方法.     

A coupled finite element-differential quadrature element method and its accuracy for moving load problem

In this paper a mixed method, which combines the finite element method and the differential quadrature element method (DQEM), is presented for solving the time dependent problems. In this study, the finite element method is first used to discretize the spatial domain. The DQEM is then employed as a step-by-step DQM in time domain to solve the resulting initial value problem. The resulting algebraic equations can be solved by either direct or iterative methods. Two general formulations using the DQM are also presented for solving a system of linear second-order ordinary differential equations in time. The application of the formulation is then shown by solving a sample moving load problem. Numerical results show that the present mixed method is very efficient and reliable.     

A truck scheduling problem arising in intermodal container transportation

We address a truck scheduling problem that arises in intermodal container transportation, where containers need to be transported between customers (shippers or receivers) and container terminals (rail or maritime) and vice versa. The transportation requests are handled by a trucking company which operates several depots and a fleet of homogeneous trucks that must be routed and scheduled to minimize the total truck operating time under hard time window constraints imposed by the customers and terminals. Empty containers are considered as transportation resources and are provided by the trucking company for freight transportation. The truck scheduling problem at hand is formulated as Full-Truckload Pickup and Delivery Problem with Time Windows (FTPDPTW) and is solved by a 2-stage heuristic solution approach. This solution method was specially designed for the truck scheduling problem but can be applied to other problems as well. We assess the quality of our solution approach on several computational experiments.     

A Generalized Time–Cost Trade-Off Transportation Problem

In the classical transportation problem if the unit costs and transportation durations are considered, the time-cost trade-off solutions can be determined by the well-known threshold approach assuming that all the transportations are permitted to be simultaneous in time. If all the unit costs are linear functions of time over a specified interval of time, a parametric technique can be applied for identifying all the time-cost trade-off solutions pertaining to this interval. In this paper, the unit costs considered are piecewise linear non-increasing functions of time and transportations are allowed to be simultaneous. It is shown that a parametric method involving a finite sequence of parametric transportation problems reveals all the time-cost trade-off solutions of this generalized trade-off problem. Computational experience is included. If the transportation problem has considerable degeneracy, the parametric approach may pose some computational difficulty. This difficulty can be reduced by using an alternative method involving the bicriteria optimization approach of Aneja and Nair. Also, a direct method is outlined for the case where a finite set of discrete alternatives of unit cost-time pairs is available.     

An improvement in the Gavish-Shlifer algorithm for a class of transportation scheduling problems

In [2] Gavish and Shlifer present an algorithm for solving a class of transportation scheduling problems which includes the delivery problem, the school bus problem, and others. Their algorithm is based on the ‘savings method’ of Clarke and Wright. By solving a sequence of assignment problems, upper bounds may be generated for the original problem and the optimal solution determined through a branch and bound procedure. However, for certain problems the CPU time becomes excessive. In this paper we show that the bounds may be improved by solving a related maximum matching problem instead of the assignment problem. The result is that fewer branches need to be investigated. Computational results are presented indicating that considerably less CPU time is needed to solve problems using this approach than with the approach of Gavish and Shlifer.     

运筹学中几种运输问题的求解方法探析

从目前研究生入学考试中出现的几种新的运筹学运输问题出发,探讨了各种运输问题与传统运输问题的差异。提出以传统运输问题为本,将非传统运输问题转化为传统运输问题借助表上作业法求解的思路。并针对6种不同的非传统运输问题分析了转化的过程和步骤,为运输问题的研究提供了新的内容.     

Which matrices are immune against the transportation paradox?

We characterize the m×n cost matrices of the transportation problem for which there exist supplies and demands such that the transportation paradox arises. Our characterization is fairly simple and can be verified within O(mn) computational steps. Moreover, we discuss the corresponding question for the algebraic transportation problem.     

Newton-like methods for two-point boundary value problems

A class of Newton-like methods for discrete two-point boundary value problems is constructed from the sum equation formulation of the problem. Each step of the Newton-like method can be described as first solving a system of linear algebraic equations. The solution vector of this system gives boundary values to a number of discrete boundary value problems which can be solved explicitly.     

On lexicographic optimal solutions in transportation problems

Lexicographic versions of the cost minimizing transportation problem (CMTP) and the time minimizing transportation problem (TMTP) are presented in this paper. In addition to minimizing the quantity sent on the costliest routes in a cost minimizing transportation problem. an attempt is made to minimize the quantity transported on the second-costliest routes. if the shipment on the costliest routes is as small as possible and the quantity shipped on the third-costliest routes, if the shipments on the costliest and the second- costliest routes are as small as possible. and so on. In a lexicographic time minimizing transportation problem one is not only interested in minimizing the transportation cost on the routes of the longest duration but also on the routes of second longest, third-longest duration and so on. For finding lexicographic optimal solutions (LOS) of lexicographic cost minimizing and time minimizing transportation problems a standard cost minimizing transportation problem is formulated whose optimal solution is shown to provide the answer. Some extensions are also discussed     

平衡和不平衡运输问题与分配问题的通用迭代算法

将不平衡运输问题转化成网络最短路问题,利用Floyd算法规则,给出了一种既可以解平衡和不平衡运输问题,又可以解平衡和不平衡分配问题的通用迭代算法。与专门用于解运输问题的闭合回路法和专门用于解分配问题的匈牙利法相比,这种算法不但具有通用的优点,而且更便于在计算机上运行。     

Solving nested-constraint resource allocation problems with an interior point method

Efficient methods for convex resource allocation problems usually exploit algebraic properties of the objective function. For problems with nested constraints, we show that constraint sparsity structure alone allows rapid solution with a general interior point method. The key is a special-purpose linear system solver requiring only linear time in the problem dimensions. Computational tests show that this approach outperforms the previous best algebraically specialized methods.     

Vehicle routing problems with alternative paths: An application to on-demand transportation

The class of vehicle routing problems involves the optimization of freight or passenger transportation activities. These problems are generally treated via the representation of the road network as a weighted complete graph. Each arc of the graph represents the shortest route for a possible origin–destination connection. Several attributes can be defined for one arc (travel time, travel cost, etc.), but the shortest route modeled by this arc is computed according to a single criterion, generally travel time. Consequently, some alternative routes proposing a different compromise between the attributes of the arcs are discarded from the solution space. We propose to consider these alternative routes and to evaluate their impact on solution algorithms and solution values through a multigraph representation of the road network. We point out the difficulties brought by this representation for general vehicle routing problems, which drives us to introduce the so-called fixed sequence arc selection problem (FSASP). We propose a dynamic programming solution method for this problem. In the context of an on-demand transportation (ODT) problem, we then propose a simple insertion algorithm based on iterative FSASP solving and a branch-and-price exact method. Computational experiments on modified instances from the literature and on realistic data issued from an ODT system in the French Doubs Central area underline the cost savings brought by the proposed methods using the multigraph model.     

Approximate Solutions and Error Bounds for Solving Matrix Differential Equations Without Increasing the Dimension of the Problem

In this paper we present a method for solving initial value problems related to second order matrix differential equations. This method is based on the existence of a solution of a certain algebraic matrix equation related to the problem, and it avoids the increase of the dimension of the problem for its resolution. Approximate solutions, and their error bounds in terms of error bounds for the approximate solutions of the algebraic problem, are given.     

多约束水平运输问题的时间费用均衡

基于为顾客提供最佳服务的现代营销理念,剖析了从一定产地到一定销地所发生的运输问题,构建了时间用均衡的目标模式及多目标约束水平MC^2运输问题的数学模型,本文在建立一系列定义,定理的基础上,提出了认明时间费用均衡解空间的优化决策方法,并结合示例展现了这一方法在解决客观实际问题中的有效性。     

A method of solving a nonlinear boundary value problem with a parameter for a loaded differential equation

A nonlinear loaded differential equation with a parameter on a finite interval is studied. The interval is partitioned by the load points, at which the values of the solution to the equation are set as additional parameters. A nonlinear boundary value problem for the considered equation is reduced to a nonlinear multipoint boundary value problem for the system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations with parameters. For fixed parameters, we obtain the Cauchy problems for ordinary differential equations on the subintervals. Substituting the values of the solutions to these problems into the boundary condition and continuity conditions at the partition points, we compose a system of nonlinear algebraic equations in parameters. A method of solving the boundary value problem with a parameter is proposed. The method is based on finding the solution to the system of nonlinear algebraic equations composed.     

Synchronizing production and air transportation scheduling using mathematical programming models

Traditional scheduling problems assume that there are always infinitely many resources for delivering finished jobs to their destinations, and no time is needed for their transportation, so that finished products can be transported to customers without delay. So, for coordination of these two different activities in the implementation of a supply chain solution, we studied the problem of synchronizing production and air transportation scheduling using mathematical programming models. The overall problem is decomposed into two sub-problems, which consists of air transportation allocation problem and a single machine scheduling problem which they are considered together. We have taken into consideration different constraints and assumptions in our modeling such as special flights, delivery tardiness and no delivery tardiness. For these purposes, a variety of models have been proposed to minimize supply chain total cost which encompass transportation, makespan, delivery earliness tardiness and departure time earliness tardiness costs.     

Fuzzy graphs modelling for HazMat telegeomonitoring

Telegeomonitoring system development combines two heterogeneous technologies: the geographical information systems technology (GIS) and telecommunications technology. In this paper, we give the system components for telegeomonitoring transportation of hazardous materials. The telegeomonitoring system uses GIS to capture civil infrastructure (urban network, land use, industries, etc.) and decision support systems technology to allow risks analysis and evaluate routing strategies that minimize transportation risk. Routing algorithms are to this effect adapted to graphs of the fuzzy risk. A new algebraic structure is proposed to solve a path-finding problem in a fuzzy graph. This algebraic structure is adapted precisely to solve the problem of the K-best fuzzy shortest paths. The approach that we proposed, consists of defining generic structures of operator’s traversal problem in fuzzy graphs. The principal contribution of our approach is to build adequate structures of path algebra to solve the problem of graph traversal in a fuzzy graph without negative circuits. Foundations of the system studied in this work will be able to be transposed to other fields of transportation.     

The auction algorithm for the transportation problem

The auction algorithm is a parallel relaxation method for solving the classical assignment problem. It resembles a competitive bidding process whereby unassigned persons bid simultaneously for objects, thereby raising their prices. Once all bids are in, objects are awarded to the highest bidder. This paper generalizes the auction algorithm to solve linear transportation problems. The idea is to convert the transportation problem into an assignment problem, and then to modify the auction algorithm to exploit the special structure of this problem. Computational results show that this modified version of the auction algorithm is very efficient for certain types of transportation problems.     

Bernstein polynomial basis for numerical solution of boundary value problems

The purpose of this paper is to propose a computational method for the approximate solution of linear and nonlinear two-point boundary value problems. In order to approximate the solution, the expansions in terms of the Bernstein polynomial basis have been used. The properties of the Bernstein polynomial basis and the corresponding operational matrices of integration and product are utilized to reduce the given boundary value problem to a system of algebraic equations for the unknown expansion coefficients of the solution. On this approach, the problem can be solved as a system of algebraic equations. By considering a special case of the problem, an error analysis is given for the approximate solution obtained by the present method. At last, five examples are examined in order to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.