• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1-12
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• 2016

The Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) is one of the recently developed metaheuristic optimization algorithms. Since the development of HSA, it has been applied by many researchers from various fields. The increasing complexity of problems has created enormous challenges for the current technique, and improved techniques of optimization algorithms are required. In this study, to improve the HSA in terms of a structural setting, a new HSA that has structural characteristics, called the Multi-layered Harmony Search Algorithm (MLHSA) was proposed. In this new method, the structural characteristics were added to HSA to improve the exploration and exploitation capability. In addition, the MLHSA was applied to optimization problems, including unconstrained benchmark functions and water distribution system pipe diameter design problems to verify the efficiency and applicability of the proposed algorithm. The results revealed the strength of MLHSA and its competitiveness.