Global Optimization of Nonconvex Polynomial Programming Problems Having Rational Exponents

This paper considers the solution of nonconvex polynomial programming problems that arise in various engineering design, network distribution, and location-allocation contexts. These problems generally have nonconvex polynomial objective functions and constraints, involving terms of mixed-sign coefficients (as in signomial geometric programs) that have rational exponents on variables. For such problems, we develop an extension of the Reformulation-Linearization Technique (RLT) to generate linear programming relaxations that are embedded within a branch-and-bound algorithm. Suitable branching or partitioning strategies are designed for which convergence to a global optimal solution is established. The procedure is illustrated using a numerical example, and several possible extensions and algorithmic enhancements are discussed.