Particle swarm optimization combined with normative knowledge applied to Loney's solenoid design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show, on a widely used benchmark problem, that normative knowledge concepts can be incorporated into particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms in order to improve their search ability.Design/methodology/approach – Normative knowledge concepts are used within the framework of PSO algorithms in order to influence the cognitive and social components of the particle behaviour.Findings – It is shown that the proposed algorithm can significantly improve the performance of PSO on the selected benchmark problem, in terms of both best and average solutions.Research limitations/implications – Although the chosen benchmark is considered to be representative of typical electromagnetic problems, different test cases may give less satisfactory results.Practical implications – The proposed approach appears to be an efficient general purpose stochastic optimizer for electromagnetic design problems.Originality/value – This paper introduces the use of normative knowledge concept...