See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/305443610

Optimization design for screw wash-sand machine based on fruit fly

optimization algorithm

Article · January 2016

DOI: 10.6180/jase.2016.19.2.05

CITATIONS READS

4 2,755

7 authors, including:

Yun-Fei Fu Jie Gong

University of Alberta Deakin University
27 PUBLICATIONS   251 CITATIONS    3 PUBLICATIONS   5 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Zhenzi Peng
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
31 PUBLICATIONS   350 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Special Fund for Agro- Scientific Research in the Public Interest (Project No. 201303077-2) View project

Foundation of Science and Technology Competitive Allocation of Zhanjiang (No. 2014A02010) View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Yun-Fei Fu on 18 March 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Journal of Applied Science and Engineering, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 149-161 (2016) DOI: 10.6180/jase.2016.19.2.05

Optimization Design for Screw Wash-Sand Machine

Based on Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm
Yun-Fei Fu, Jie Gong, Zheng Peng, Ji-Hua Li, Si-Dong Li,
Pu-Wang Li* and Zi-Ming Yang**
Agricultural Product Processing Research Institute at Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences,
Chinese Agricultural Ministry Key Laboratory of Tropical Crop Products Processing,
Zhanjiang 524001, P.R. China

Abstract
The aim of this study is to minimize the specific energy consumption of the screw wash-sand
machine. Let the diameter of the screw structure, pitch, diameter of the screw axis, blade thickness,
installation angle, and the speed of the screw axis be the design variables, and take the minimum
specific energy consumption as the optimization objective. According to the complexity of the
optimization problem in this study, the fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOA) is used to execute the
optimization design of the screw wash-sand machine. The non-stationary multi-stage assignment
penalty function is adopted to cope with the constrained optimization problem. To judge the stability
and reliability of the optimal solution and find the sensitive factors of the optimization design, the
sensitivity analyses of the objective function and constraint conditions to the design variables are
carried out. By simulation, the optimized structure parameters of the screw wash-sand machine and the
data of the objective sensitivity and constraint sensitivity are obtained. The simulation results show
that the specific energy consumption decreases by 4.59%; the diameters of the screw structure and
screw axis are sensitive factors of the optimization design.

Key Words: Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm, Non-stationary Multi-stage Assignment Penalty
Function, Wash-sand Machine, Sensitivity Analysis, Specific Energy Consumption

1. Introduction
With the rapid development of the economy in the
world, the consumption of the sand used as the concrete
fine aggregate becomes increasingly pronounced [1-4].
Particularly, with the accelerating development of the
urbanization in the southeast coastal area in China, many
coastal cities are faced with a dilemma that the river sand
resource will be exhausted. Therefore, replacing river
sand with sea sand will be a tendency [1]. In fact, it has
been a long time since sea sand was used in the Japan’s
construction industry. In Japan, above 90% of the sand
*Corresponding author. E-mail: puwangli@163.com
**Corresponding author. E-mail: yangziming2004@163.com
for building is sea sand. In China, many coastal areas store
plenty of sea sand resources. However, various kinds of
salts and hazardous materials will have detrimental ef-
fects on the concrete, which causes that the application
and popularization of the sea sand in the construction
industry are constrained to some extent. Also, research
shows that Cl ion in sea sand will corrode the steel bar,
which can weaken the durability of concrete, so Cl ion is
a main factor causing the failure of the architectural struc-
ture [2-4]. If the sea sand without desalting is used in the
construction engineering, then some serious engineering
accidents will occur. Therefore, the research on the re-
lated technology of desalting sea sand has some social
and economic benefits.
In the domestic and overseas, there are three main
150 Yun-Fei Fu et al.
sorts of sea sand desalination technologies: the natural
cleaning method with fresh water, natural placement
method, and mechanical method [5]. Currently, the me-
chanical method is widely used in China. Although the
cost of the mechanical method is the largest, its produc-
tion efficiency is also the highest. The wash-sand ma-
chine is a major component of the sea sand desalination
mechanical system. There are two main types of wash-
sand machines: the screw wash-sand machine and rotat-
ing wheel sand washing machine. As the sand washing
capacity of the screw wash-sand machine performs bet-
ter than that of the rotating wheel sand washing machine,
the screw wash-sand machine is taken as the research
object [6]. Because of its some advantages (i.e., the long
screw, seal design, simple structure, strong processing
ability, easy maintenance, etc.), the screw wash-sand ma-
chine is widely used in the sea sand desalination field.
One of the most commonly used mechanical wash-sand
systems in China is shown in Figure 1 [7,8]. Figure 1
shows that this machine is an important part of the me-
chanical wash-sand system. In fact, the screw wash-sand
machine is a core part in various kinds of mechanical
wash-sand systems, and its operation performance will
affect the output and quality of desalted sea sand greatly.
According to the number of the screw axis, there are
two categories of screw wash-sand machines: the single
screw wash-sand machine and double screw wash-sand
machine. For the convenience of the research, the single
screw wash-sand machine is taken as the research object.
The structural diagram of the screw wash-sand machine
is shown in Figure 2 [9]. From Figure 2, it can be seen
that the screw wash-sand machine consists of the lower
bearing assembly, flume, screw axis, outrigger, upper
bearing assembly, coupling, motor, and reducer. The mo-
Figure 1. Mechanical wash-sand system.
tor is the power source of the screw wash-sand machine.
With the help of the motor and reducer, the screw struc-
ture can be driven at a uniform speed. The screw struc-
ture plays a role of agitating the sea sand and water in the
flume. With the stirring action of the screw structure, the
impurities in sea sand are washed away. Impurities are
discharged from the drainage pipe under the effect of wa-
ter flow. The washed sea sand is discharged from the dis-
charge opening with the running of the screw blade, and
then the objective of desalinating sea sand is achieved.
Actually, it has been shown in many papers reporting
the researches regarding the screw machine. Uematu and
Nakamura (1960) revealed how the power requirement
and the efficiencies of the screw conveyer are affected
by the ratio of pitch to the diameter of the screw struc-
ture and the tip clearance [10]. Qian, Gu, and Zhang
(1996) formulated the semi-empirical equation of the out-
put of the twin screw conveyer and studied the factors
affecting the output [11]. Yu and Arnold (1997) deter-
mined an analytical solution calculating the torque of the
screw feeders, which can be used to predict torque char-
acteristics [12]. Roberts (1999) investigated the volume-
Figure 2. Screw wash-sand machine.
 Optimization Design for Screw Wash-Sand Machine Based on Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm
tric performance of enclosed screw conveyors with par-
ticular reference to the influence of vortex motion and
presented an analysis of the vortex motion in vertical or
steeply inclined screw or auger conveyors [13]. Shimizu
and Cundall (2001) used the 3D distinct element (DEM)
to examine the performance of screw conveyors [14].
Zhang, Mao, and Ding (2008) adopted the ant colony
algorithm to minimize the weight and maximize the ef-
ficiency of the screw coal miner [15]. Owen and Cleary
(2009) displayed how operating factors affect the per-
formance of the screw conveyor by utilizing the discrete
element method (DEM) to simulate a single-pitch screw
conveyor with periodic boundary conditions [16]. Ren,
Xia, and Ye (2012) used the theoretical calculation to
determine the corresponding structure sizes and mo-
tion parameters of the screw structure without shaft for
high-temperature mechanized charging and discharg-
ing in magnesium reduction process and applied the fi-
nite element method to analyze the bending and torsion
stress of the screw structure without shaft [17]. Zhang,
Fu, Han, and Yuan (2012) applied SPEA (strength pa-
reto evolutionary algorithm) to execute the multi-objec-
tive fuzzy reliability optimization of the screw coal miner,
aiming at maximizing the productivity and minimizing
the energy consumption and weight [18]. Zhang, Rui,
Zhou, and Tong (2014) adopted PSO (particle swarm
optimization algorithm) to minimize the deformation of
the shaft-less screw structure used for conveying the high
viscosity and large specific gravity materials [19]. How-
ever, the studies on the screw wash-sand machine are
seldom discussed. Gawande, Navale, and Keste (2013)
reported a novel sand washing machine, which consists
of the screen, chassis, screw conveyor, rotary bucket ele-
vator, and transmission [20]. In particular, the screw
structure is also used as the key component for washing
the sand in this novel sand washing machine, showing
that the screw structure has strong ability of washing sand.
To reduce the specific energy consumption, the fruit
fly optimization algorithm is used for optimizing the struc-
ture parameters of the screw wash-sand machine. Firstly,
the optimization mathematical model of the screw wash-
sand machine is established. Then, the optimization is
carried out with the fruit fly optimization algorithm. Fi-
nally, the sensitivities of the objective function and con-
straint conditions to the design variables are analyzed.
151
The research on the optimization design of the screw
wash-sand machine can improve not only the compre-
hensive performance of the screw wash-sand machine
but also the overall performance of the mechanical wash-
sand system. With the improvement of the wash-sand te-
chnical level, the competitive power of desalted sea sand
will become stronger, and the degrees of approval will
become higher, which will promote the application and
promotion of desalted sea sand. As the screw wash-sand
machine is a key part in the sea sand desalination me-
chanical system, the continuous study on the screw wash-
sand will promote the development of the sea sand desa-
lination industry.
2. Mathematical Model
2.1 Design Variables
The structure diagram of the screw structure in the
screw wash-sand machine is shown in Figure 3. In Fig-
ure 3, L is the transportation distance in meters; D is the
diameter of the screw structure in meters; S is the pitch
in meters; d is the diameter of the screw axis in meters;
a is the installation angle in degrees. For simplifying the
structure diagram of the screw structure, the blade thick-
ness w is not shown in Figure 3. Actually, the working
principle of the screw structure in the screw wash-sand
machine is similar to that of the Archimedes screw [21,
22]. With the help of the rotation of the screw structure,
the screw blade is able to transport sea sand from the
flume to the discharge opening. Due to the deadweight of
sea sand and the friction between sea sand and the trough,
sea sand will not rotate with the rotation of the screw
Figure 3. Screw structure in the screw wash-sand machine.
152 Yun-Fei Fu et al.
blade. However, sea sand can be conveyed in the axial
direction under the axial force caused by the screw blade.
The design variables of the screw wash-sand machine
are mainly the combination of the geometrical size and
physical properties of components. In actual engineer-
ing, the transportation distance of the screw wash-sand
machine can be determined based on the concrete me-
chanical wash-sand system. According to the structural
characteristics and operation characteristics of the screw
wash-sand machine, let the diameter of the screw struc-
ture D, pitch S, diameter of the screw axis d, blade thick-
ness w, installation angle a, and the speed of the screw
axis n be design variables. That is,
2.2 Objective Function
In a mechanical design problem, there are many fea-
sible design schemes. The task of the optimum design is
to find the optimum scheme from them. To find the opti-
mum scheme, the objective of the optimization problem
should be determined first. The objective function re-
flects the relationship among different design variables,
and it is used to measure certain performance index re-
quired by the design. The construction and selection of
the objective function are related to the practicality of
the optimization result, so the correct selection of the ob-
jective function is intensely crucial. The specific energy
consumption, which is the ratio of the driving power of
the motor to the production capacity, is a main technical
and economic index of machinery equipments [23-25].
The specific energy consumption can reflect the com-
prehensive properties of the machinery equipment well.
Therefore, let the specific energy consumption be the op-
timization objective. The specific energy consumption of
the screw wash-sand machine is
(1)
where H is the specific energy consumption in kilo-
watt-hours per ton, N is the driving power of the motor
in kilowatts, and Q is the production capacity in tons
per hour.
At present, the screw wash-sand machine has no for-
mula for calculating the production capacity. Since the
working principle of the screw wash-sand machine is si-
milar to that of the screw conveyor, the formula of the
production capacity of the screw conveyor is used to cal-
culate the production capacity of the screw wash-sand
machine, as given by [26,27]
(2)
where Ag is the section area of sand in square meters, n
is the conveying velocity of sand in meters per second, g
is the material accumulation density in tons per meter
cubed, n is the rotational speed of the screw axis in ra-
dians per minute, j is the material filling factor, and C
is the inclination factor.
The driving power of the screw wash-sand machine is
used to overcome various resistance caused in the course
of washing sea sand. Particularly, when washing sea
sand, the screw wash-sand machine doesn’t require extra
energy to eliminate Cl ion. The reason is that in the me-
chanical sand washing system, the ozone water is poured
into the screw wash-sand machine to remove Cl ion [7,
8]. In other words, the chemical approach is adopted to
get rid of Cl ion. Therefore, the total power of the screw
wash-sand machine mainly contains three parts: the
power used for washing sand, power used for no-load
running, and additional power caused by the incline. The
driving power of the screw wash-sand machine is
(3)
where P is the driving power of the screw wash-sand
machine in kilowatts and m is the running resistance fac-
tor.
The driving power of the motor is
(4)
where N is the driving power of the motor in kilowatts,
K is the power reserve coefficient of the motor, and h is
the machinery driving efficiency. In general, the ma-
 Optimization Design for Screw Wash-Sand Machine Based on Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm
chinery driving efficiency of the screw wash-sand ma-
chine is in the range 0.9 £ h £ 0.94.
Substituting Eqs. (2) and (4) into Eq. (1) gives
(5)
Since the objective is to minimize the specific en-
ergy consumption of the screw wash-sand machine, the
value of Eq. (5) should be as low as possible. Therefore,
the objective function can be expressed as
2.3 Constraint Functions
2.3.1 Constraint Condition of Diameters
To improve the loading space of the screw structure,
the diameter of the screw axis should be as small as pos-
sible. But if the diameter of the screw axis is too small,
the manufacturing difficulty will increase. Through syn-
thetical consideration, the ranges of main parameters are
0.5 £ D £ 1.5, 0.3D £ d £ 0.4D
Thus, constraint conditions are
g1(x) = x1 - 0.5 ³ 0, g2(x) = 1.5 - x1 ³ 0,
g3(x) = x3 - 0.3x1 ³ 0, g4(x) = 0.4x1 - x3 ³ 0
2.3.2 Constraint Condition of Pitch
The selection of the pitch S should be based on the
layout of the screw wash-sand machine, characteristics
of sand, and diameter of the screw structure. The general
equation of the pitch S is
S = cD (6)
where c is the proportional coefficient of the pitch S and
diameter D.
Generally, the proportional coefficient c is in the
153
range 0.8 £ c £ 1. Therefore, the range of the pitch S is
0.8D £ S £ 1.0D
Thus, constraint conditions are
g5(x) = x2 - 0.8x1 ³ 0, g6(x) = x1 - x2 ³ 0
2.3.3 Constraint Conditions of Blade Thickness and
Installation Angle
Since most of the design parameters of the screw
wash-sand machine are the design variables in the opti-
mization design, the load on the blade can’t be determined
accurately. The selection of the blade thickness should
meet strength requirements. According to the strength
design principle, the range of the blade thickness can be
determined. That is,
0.01 £ w £ 0.05
According to the structure size of other mechanical
equipments in the mechanical wash-sand system, the in-
stallation angle of the screw wash-sand machine should
be in the range
15° £ a £ 20°
Thus, constraint conditions are
g7(x) = x4 - 0.01 ³ 0, g8(x) = 0.05 - x4 ³ 0,
g9(x) = x5 - 15 ³ 0, g10(x) = 20 - x5 ³ 0
2.3.4 Constraint Condition of Speed
The speed of the screw axis has great influence on
the production capacity. In general, the faster the screw
axis runs, the stronger the transmission capacity will
be. However, if the speed exceeds a critical value, sand
will be drawn out due to excessive friction centrifugal
force, causing that the axial motion of sand can’t be ex-
ecuted [19]. Thus, the speed of the screw axis should be
restricted. The limiting condition of the speed is
(7)
and
154 Yun-Fei Fu et al.

axis in meters4.
(8)
The mass of the screw structure is given by the equa-
tion
To simplify, let
(12)

(9)
but

So
(13)

(10)
(14)

where K¢ is the comprehensive coefficient of material,

nmax is the maximum critical speed in radians per min- Substituting Eqs. (13) and (14) into Eq. (12) gives
ute, g is the acceleration due to the earth’s gravity in
meters per second squared, and A¢ is the synthetic char-
acteristic coefficient of material.
Normally, the speed of the screw axis is in the range (15)
of 8 to 12 rad/min. Thus, constraint conditions are
where V1 is the volume of the screw axis in cubic me-
ters, V2 is the volume of the blade in cubic meter, r is
the material density of the screw structure in tons per
meter cubed, and w is blade thickness in meters.
2.3.5 Constraint Condition of Stiffness Substituting (15) into Eq. (11) gets
The screw axis of the screw wash-sand machine is
an axis with a large span, and it only has one section. The
simplified mechanical model of the screw axis is shown
(16)
in Figure 4. Due to the effect of the load, the screw axis
will produce bending deformation. If the deformation
amount of the screw axis exceeds the allowable limit,
then the screw axis will be unable to work normally and The constraint condition of stiffness is that the maxi-
even may lose its working performance [28]. Therefore, mum deflection should not be larger than the allowable
the constraint condition of the stiffness of the screw axis deflection; that is,
is overwhelmingly necessary.
Based on mechanics of material, the maximum de- fmax £ [f] (17)
flection of the screw axis is given by the equation [28]

(11)

where fmax is the maximum deflection in meters, E is

elastic modulus in tons per second squared, q is uniform
load in newtons per meter, G is the mass of the screw
structure in tons, and I is the inertia moment of the screw Figure 4. Mechanical model of the screw axis.
 Optimization Design for Screw Wash-Sand Machine Based on Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm
where [f] is the allowable deflection in meters. For
general utility shafts, the allowable deflection is in the
range of 0.0001L to 0.0005L [29].
Thus, the constraint condition is
2.3.6 Constraint Condition of Reliability
Reliability is a vital quality index of products be-
cause it expresses the normal service ability of products.
In the reliability design, the load, strength, and other de-
sign parameters can be taken as random variables, so
load properties, material properties, and the properties of
other design parameters can be described in a more ob-
jective and scientific way. Meanwhile, the objective of
the reliability design is to ensure the probability of the
strength greater than the load. The reliability design can
quantitatively describe the safety degree of the design.
The main acting force of the screw axis is torque, and
when the screw wash-sand machine washes sea sand, the
torque of the screw axis is almost invariable. Assume that
both the stress and strength of the screw axis follow the
Gauss distribution. According to the relationship between
the stress and strength in the reliability design, the reli-
ability coefficient is given by [30,31]
(18)
where Z is the reliability coefficient, d is the mean value
of the allowable shear stress in pascals, sd is the stan-
dard deviation of the allowable shear stress in pascals, t
is the mean value of the shear stress in pascals, st is the
standard deviation of the shear stress in pascals, and T
is the mean value of torque in newton-meters.
According to statistical results, the standard devia-
tion of the strength is about 10 percent of the mathemati-
cal expectation [31]. Therefore, the approximate formula
of the standard deviation of the allowable shear stress sd
and the mean value of the allowable shear stress d can be
expressed by
155
(19)
According to the method of moments in the reli-
ability design, the distributed parameters of the random
variable function y = f(x) are as follows [30,31]:
(20)
(21)
where y is the random variable, E(y) is the mathematical
expectation of the random variable y, D(y) is the vari-
ance of the random variable y, X1, X2,…, Xi are mutually
independent random variables, and m1, m2,…, mi are the
mean value of above mutually independent random
variables, respectively.
Based on Eq. (21), the standard deviation of the shear
stress st can be calculated as
(22)
where sT is the standard deviation of torque in newton-
meters and sd is the diameter deviation of the screw
axis in meters.
Due to the limitation of the precision of manufactur-
ing equipments, the precision of measuring tools, the op-
eration level of workers, conditions, environments, etc.,
the dimensions of the parts after machine work have
some randomness. Normally, the dimensional deviation
of parts always follows the Gauss distribution. Based on
the triple standard difference method, the diameter devi-
ation of the screw axis can be expressed by [30,31]
(23)
where x is the deviation factor of the diameter.
According to the triple standard difference method,
the standard deviation of torque can be expressed by
(24)
where y is the deviation factor of the load.
156 Yun-Fei Fu et al.
Substituting Eqs. (3), (19), (22), (23), and (24) into
Eq. (18) yields
(25)
Based on the application requirements of the screw
axis, let the reliability R be 0.95. The reliability coeffi-
cient Z can be determined as
Z ³ [Z] (26)
where [Z] is the reliability coefficient. When the reli-
ability of the screw axis is 0.95, the value of the reli-
ability coefficient [Z] is 1.64 [31].
Thus, the constraint condition is
3. Determination of Optimization Algorithm
The existing optimization methods can be classified
into two major types: traditional deterministic optimi-
zation methods and intelligent optimization algorithms.
Traditional deterministic optimization methods, such as
the steepest descent algorithm, newton algorithm, conju-
gate gradient algorithm, simplex algorithm, variable me-
tric method, sequential quadratic programming algorithm,
and penalty function method, generally have perfect ma-
thematical basis and strict mathematical definition [32].
However, traditional deterministic optimization methods
have following restrictions [32]: (a) traditional determi-
nistic optimization methods do not fare well over a broad
spectrum of problem domains; (b) traditional determi-
nistic optimization methods are not suitable for solving
multi-modal problems as they tend to obtain a local op-
timal solution; (c) traditional deterministic optimization
methods are not ideal for solving multi-objective optimi-
zation problems; (d) traditional deterministic optimiza-
tion methods are not suitable for solving problems in-
volving large number of constraints.
To improve the performance of optimization algo-
rithms and overcome the limitations of traditional opti-
mization algorithms, a plenty of novel optimization al-
gorithms (i.e., intelligent algorithms), such as the evolu-
tionary programming, genetic algorithm, immune algo-
rithm, plant growth simulation algorithm, simulated an-
nealing, ant colony algorithm, particle swarm optimiza-
tion, differential evolution, harmony elements algorithm,
shuffled frog leaping algorithm, grenade explosion algo-
rithm, artificial fish school algorithm, and artificial bee
colony algorithm, are proposed by many scholars from
different countries [33-36]. The development of these
optimization algorithms is based on simulating or reveal-
ing some natural phenomena or process. The thought
and content of intelligent algorithms involve the mathe-
matics, biological evolution, social behavior, artificial
intelligence, statistical mechanics, and so on. Although
the manifestation and principle of these optimization al-
gorithms are different, they have some common charac-
teristics: the population search, random search, paral-
lelism, and global superiority. However, these optimiza-
tion algorithms also have common defects: the compli-
cated computational process and difficulty of understand-
ing for beginners [37]. Therefore, Pan, W. T., a scholar
from Taiwan, proposes the fruit fly optimization algo-
rithm (FOA) in 2011 [38]. The calculation process of
FOA is very simple, and it is very easy for ordinary engi-
neers and technicians to understand FOA. For the above
reasons and the complexity of the optimization problem
in this study, FOA is adopted to execute the optimization
design of the screw wash-sand machine.
The foraging behavior of the fruit fly is superior to
other species, especially in osphresis and vision, which
is as shown in Figure 5 [37]. The olfactory organs of the
fruit fly can collect various kinds of the odors that float in
air, and can even smell the food source outside 40 km.
When approaching the position of food, the fruit fly can
use keen vision to find food and the gathering place of
companions, and then flies to that direction.
The main steps of FOA are summarized as follows
[37]:
Step 1. Initialize the position of the fruit fly group
randomly.
Init X_axis; Init Y_axis
 Optimization Design for Screw Wash-Sand Machine Based on Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm
Figure 5. Illustration of the body look of the fruit fly and
group iterative food searching of fruit fly.
Step 2. Set the random direction and distance of the
individual fruit fly using smell to find food.
Xi = X_axis + RandomValue
Yi = Y_axis + RandomValue
Step 3. With the position of food unknown, estimate
the distance to the origin first (Dist), and then calculate
the smell concentration judgment value (S), which is the
reciprocal of the distance.
Disti = X i2 + Y i 2
Si = 1/ Disti
Step 4. Substitute smell concentration judgment
value (S) into smell concentration judgment function (or
called Fitness function) so as to find the smell concentra-
tion (Smelli) of the individual location of the fruit fly.
Smelli = Function(Si)
Step 5. Find the fruit fly whose smell concentration
is the maximum in the fruit fly group; namely, solve for
the maximal value.
[bestSmellbestIndex] = max(Smell)
Step 6. Retain the optimal value of the smell concen-
tration and X- and Y-coordinates. Then, the fruit fly group
flies to that position by using vision and forms a new ga-
thering place.
157
Smellbest = bestSmell
X_axis = X(bestIndex)
Y_axis = Y(bestIndex)
Step 7. In the course of iterative optimization, exe-
cute steps 2 through 5 repeatedly, and determine whether
the smell concentration is superior to that of the previous
iteration. If so, execute step 6.
4. Optimization Example
4.1 Optimal Calculation Based on FOA
Take a kind of screw wash-sand machine as the re-
search object. Related parameters, which are provided
by a manufacturing enterprise, are listed as follows:
The optimization design for the screw wash-sand ma-
chine is a nonlinear programming problem with six un-
known variables and fifteen constraint conditions. There
are many methods used to solve constrained minimiza-
tion problems, such as the feasible direction, gradient
projection method, active set method, penalty function
method, and so forth. The most common approach for
solving constrained optimization problems is the use of a
penalty function. Penalty functions are distinguished into
two main categories: stationary and non-stationary, and
results obtained using non-stationary penalty functions
are superior to those obtained using stationary functions
[39-41]. Therefore, this study adopts the non-stationary
multi-stage assignment penalty function to solve the con-
strained optimization problem. The optimization is exe-
cuted with FOA, and the algorithm program is compiled
by using MATLAB. Research shows that if the size of
the fruit fly population is small, then the search path will
be unstable, the convergence rate will be slow, and the
execution speed of the program will be fast; if the size of
the fruit fly population is large, then the search path will
be stable, the convergence rate will be fast, and the exe-
cution speed of the program will be slow [42]. By con-
sidering the complexity of the optimization problem in
this study, let iteration times be 30000 and population
158 Yun-Fei Fu et al.

sizes be 75 in FOA. FOA is executed four times, and si-
mulation results are exactly the same, showing that the
stability of FOA is very excellent. The obtained optimi-
zation process of FOA is shown in Figure 6. In Figure 6,
it is manifest that after approximately 10000 iterations,
the specific energy consumption of the screw wash-sand
machine reaches the minimum, which provides the va-
lidity of the selection of iteration times and population
sizes. The comparison between the results of the optimi-
zation design and that of the original design is shown in
Table 1.
Table 1 shows that the diameter of the screw struc-
ture increases by 8.4%; the pitch increases by 9.23%; the
diameter of the screw axis decreases by 11.79%; the
blade thickness decreases by 26.67%; the installation
angle decreases by 25%; the rotational speed decreases
by 5.56%; the mass of the screw structure decreases by
21.26%; the production capacity increases by 21.22%;
the driving power of the motor increases by 15.68%; the
specific energy consumption decreases by 4.59%, which
shows that optimization results achieve the objective of
reducing the specific energy consumption. Although this
study only takes the specific energy consumption of the
screw wash-sand machine as the research object, the spe-
cific energy consumption can reflect various indexes of
the screw wash-sand machine comprehensively. Thus,
the selection of the objective function is correct.
4.2 Sensitivity Analysis
The minor changes of the design variables may cause
a great fluctuation of the performance indexes of the me-
chanical structure. The sensitivity analysis is a crucial
step in the optimization design [43-45]. The aim of the
sensitivity analysis is to analyze the effect of the small
changes of the design variables on the optimal solution.
In general, the lower the sensitivity is, the smaller the dif-
ference between the actual situation and theoretical cal-
culation are. Therefore, the sensitivity analysis is ex-
tremely important for some practical engineering prob-
lems.
The derivative of the objective function with respect
to the design variables is defined as the objective sensi-
tivity [43]:
(27)
where X* is the optimal solution vector.
The obtained objective sensitivities are as follows:

From the above data, it is evident that the objective

function is not sensitive to the design variables, showing
that the optimal solution obtained in this study has high
stability and reliability.
The derivative of constraint conditions with respect
to the design variables is defined as the constraint sensi-
tivity:

(28)
Figure 6. The curve of optimization process. The obtained constraint sensitivities are as follows:
Table 1. Comparison between original design and optimization design
Parameters D S d w a n G Q N H
Original design 0.750 0.65 0.280 0.015 20 9 4.190 43.552 3.036 0.0697
Optimization design 0.813 0.71 0.247 0.011 15 8.5 3.299 52.795 3.512 0.0665
Change rate % +8.4 +9.23 -11.79 -26.67 -25 -5.56 -21.26 +21.22 +15.68 -4.59
 Optimization Design for Screw Wash-Sand Machine Based on Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm
From the above data, it is notable that the constraint
condition of the speed g11 is sensitive to the diameter of
the screw structure D and the constraint condition of reli-
ability g15 is sensitive to the diameter of the screw axis d.
Thus, the diameter of the screw structure D and the dia-
meter of the screw axis d are sensitive factors. To avoid
changing the original intention of the optimization de-
sign in this study, the dimensions of the diameters of the
screw axis and screw structure should be strictly limited
within manufacturing processes, especially the diameter
of the screw axis.
5. Conclusions
By analyzing the sand washing technology of the
screw wash-sand machine, the objective function, design
variables, and constraint conditions are determined, and
then the optimization mathematical model is established.
The case-based design of the screw wash-sand machine
is executed with FOA, the program of which is compiled
by using MATLAB. The obtained conclusions are as fol-
lows:
(1) Compared with the original design, the specific energy
consumption of the optimized screw wash-sand ma-
159
chine decreases by 4.59%, proving the validity of the
optimization mathematical model.
(2) The optimal solution obtained using the fruit fly opti-
mization algorithm has high stability and reliability.
(3) The diameters of the screw structure and screw axis
are sensitive factors in the optimization design, which
should be strictly limited within manufacturing pro-
cesses.
(4) The fruit fly optimization algorithm can solve the op-
timization problem of structure parameters well. This
new intelligent algorithm will provide a new idea for
the mechanical optimization design field.
(5) In our future work, the screw wash-sand machine
will be manufactured to carry out the experimental
verification on the basis of the optimized structure
parameters.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledged the Financial
Support by the Foundation of Science and Technology
Competitive Allocation of Zhanjiang (No. 2014A02010),
the Funds for Innovation Introduced and Integration
Project of Hainan Province (No. KJHZ2014-10), and the
Fundamental Research Funds for Rubber Research Insti-
tute, CATAS (No. 1630022013019).
References
[1] Tian, M. L. and Tang, Z. B., “Review of Research on
Durability of Sea Sand Concrete,” Concrete, Vol. 11,
pp. 117-118 (2010). doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1002-3550.
2010.11.035
[2] Yin, H. G., Li, Y., Lv, H. L. and Gao, Q., “Durability of
Sea-sand Containing Concrete: Effects of Chloride Ion
Penetration,” Mining Science and Technology (China),
Vol. 21, pp. 123-127 (2011). doi: 10.1016/j.mstc.2010.
07.003
[3] Gjørv, O. E., “Durability of Concrete Structures,”
Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Vol.
36, pp. 151-172 (2011). doi: 10.1007/s13369-010-
0033-5
[4] Shi, X. M., Xie, N., Fortune, K. and Gong, J., “Dura-
bility of Steel Reinforced Concrete in Chloride Envi-
ronments: an Overview,” Construction and Building
160 Yun-Fei Fu et al.
Materials, Vol. 30, pp. 125-138 (2012). doi: 10.1016/
j.conbuildmat.2011.12.038
[5] Chen, J. and Hu, Y., “Development and Countermea-
sures for Sea Sand Resources in China,” Marine Geo-
logy Letters, Vol. 21, No. 7, pp. 4-8 (2005). doi: 10.
3969/j.issn.1009-2722.2005.07.002
[6] Gan, J. W., Zeng, M. J., Bai, W. Q., Dong, H. H., Wu,
W. P., Chen, D. S, Wang, B. D., Xiong, Q. J., Yang, M.
and Zhao, X. X., China Patent ZL 201220107070.3
(2012).
[7] Tang, Q. Y., China Patent ZL 201320597916.0 (2013).
[8] Fu, Y. F., Gong, J., Yang, Z. M., Li, P. W., Li, S. D. and
Lv, M. Z., “Reliability Analysis of Mechanical Sand
Washing System,” 2015 International Conference on
Advances in Energy, Environment and Chemical Engi-
neering, Changsha, China, pp. 533-536 (2015).
[9] NDRC (National Development and Reform Commis-
sion), Screw Wash-Sand Machine, China Machinery
Industry Standard, JB/T 10461-2004, China Machine
Press, Beijing, pp. 1-6 (2004).
[10] Uematu, T. and Nakamura, S., “A Study of the Screw
Conveyer,” Bulletin of JSME, Vol. 3, No. 12, pp. 449-
455 (1960). doi: 10.1299/jsme1958.3.449
[11] Qian, S. D., Gu, F. Z. and Zhang, D. L., “The Study on
Performance of Twin Screw Conveyer,” Drying Tech-
nology, Vol. 14, No. 7 & 8, pp. 1859-1870 (1996). doi:
10.1080/07373939608917178
[12] Yu, Y. and Arnold, P. C., “Theoretical Modelling of
Torque Requirements for Single Screw Feeders,” Pow-
der Technology, Vol. 93, pp. 151-162 (1997). doi: 10.
1016/S00325910(97)03265-8
[13] Roberts, A. W., “The Influence of Granular Vortex
Motion on the Volumetric Performance of Enclosed
Screw Conveyors,” Powder Technology, Vol. 104, No.
1, pp. 56-67 (1999). doi: 10.1016/S0032-5910(99)00
039-X
[14] Shimizu, Y. and Cundall, P. A., “Three-dimensional
DEM Simulations of Bulk Handling by Screw Con-
veyors,” Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 9, pp. 864-872
(2001). doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2001)127:9
(864)
[15] Zhang, Q., Mao, J. and Ding, F., “Optimization Design
of Drilling String by Screw Coal Miner Based on Ant
Colony Algorithm,” Journal of Coal Science & Engi-
neering(China), Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 686-688 (2008).
doi: 10.1007/s12404-008-0443-0
[16] Owen, P. J. and Cleary, P. W., “Prediction of Screw
Conveyor Performance Using the Discrete Element
Method (DEM),” Powder Technology, Vol. 193, No. 3,
pp. 274-288 (2009). doi: 10.1016/j.powtec. 2009.03.
012
[17] Ren, L., Xia, D. H. and Ye, Y., “Development of Screw
Structure without Shaft for High-Temperature Mecha-
nized Charging and Discharging in Magnesium Re-
duction Process,” The Chinese Journal of Nonferrous
Metals, Vol. 22, No. 10, pp. 2882-2889 (2012).
[18] Zhang, Q., Fu, Y. F., Han, S. and Yuan Z., “Multi-Ob-
jective Fuzzy Reliability Optimization for Auger Coal
Miner Based on SPEA Alogrithm,” Machine Design
and Research, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 117-119 (2012).
[19] Zhang, Y., Rui, Y. N., Zhou, H. W. and Tong, Y. W.,
“Optimization Design of Shaft-Less Screw Conveyor
Mechanism for High Viscosity and Large Specific
Gravity Materials Based on PSO,” Chinese Journal of
Engineering Design, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 161-165
(2014). doi: 10.3785/j.issn.1006-754X.2014.02.010
[20] Gawande, S. H., Navale, L. G. and Keste A. A., “De-
sign, Development &Validation of Sand Washing Ma-
chine,” 2nd National Conference on “Recent Develop-
ments in Mechanical Engineering”, Pune, India, pp.
15-12 (2013).
[21] Rorres, C., “The Turn of the Screw: Optimal Design of
an Archimedes Screw,” Journal of Hydraulic Engi-
neering, Vol. 126, No. 1, pp. 72-80 (2000). doi:
10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(2000)126:1(72)
[22] Müller, G., “Simplified Theory of Archimedean Screws,”
Journal of Hydraulic Research, Vol. 47, No. 5, pp.
666-669 (2009). doi: 10.3826/jhr.2009.3457
[23] Assaad, J. J., Asseily, S. E. and Harb, J., “Effect of
Specific Energy Consumption on Fineness of Portland
Cement Incorporating Amine or Glycol-Based Grind-
ing Aids,” Materials and Structures, Vol. 42, pp.
1077-1087 (2009). doi: 10.1617/s11527-008-9444-0
[24] Tangthieng, C., “Effect of Tube Diameter on the Spe-
cific Energy Consumption of the Ice Making Process,”
Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 31, pp. 701-707
(2011). doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2010.10.002
[25] Zhang, Q., Fu, Y. F., Song, Q. S., Yuan, Z. and Song, Z.
D., “Parameter Optimization of Lowest Energy Con-
sumption for Plow Based on Artificial Fish School Al-
 Optimization Design for Screw Wash-Sand Machine Based on Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm
gorithm,” Journal of Guangxi University: Nat Sci Ed,
Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 241-246 (2012). doi:10.3969/j.
issn.1001-7445.2012.02.008
[26] McGlinchey, D., Bulk Solids Handling: Equipment
Selection and Operation, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford,
pp. 197-219 (2008).
[27] Chen, B., Liu, C. M. and Gu, L., Food Processing Ma-
chinery and Equipment, 2nd ed., China Machine Press,
Beijing, pp. 21-23 (2012).
[28] Beer, F. P., Johnston, Jr. E. R., DeWolf, J. T. and
Mazurek, D. F., Mechanics of Materials, 6th ed,
McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 52-609 (2012).
[29] Liu, W. X., Mechanical Reliability Design, Tsinghua
University Press, Beijing, pp. 188-220 (1996).
[30] Raheja, D. G. and Gullo, L. J., Design for Reliability,
Wiley, London, pp. 15-64 (2012).
[31] Xie, L. Y., Reliability Design, Higher Education Press,
Beijing, pp. 28-37 (2013).
[32] Sun, W. and Yuan, Y. X., Optimization Theory and
Methods: Nonlinear Programming, Springer, New
York, pp. 71-382 (2006).
[33] Rao, R. V. and Savsani, V. J., Mechanical Design Opti-
mization Using Advanced Optimization Techniques,
Springer, New York, pp. 5-193 (2012).
[34] Kirkpatrick, S., Gelatt, C. D. and Vecchi, M. P., “Opti-
mization by Simulated Annealing,” Science, Vol. 220,
No. 4598, pp. 671-680 (1983). doi: 10.1126/science.
220.4598.671
[35] Li, X. L., Shao, Z. J. and Qian, J. X., “An Optimizing
Method Based on Autonomous Animats: Fish-Swarm
Algorithm,” Systems Engineering-Theory & Practice,
Vol. 22, No. 11, pp. 32-38 (2002). doi: 10.3321/j.
issn:1000-6788.2002.11.007
[36] Guney, K., Durmus, A. and Basbug, S., “A Plant
Growth Simulation Algorithm for Pattern Nulling of
Linear Antenna Arrays by Amplitude Control,” Pro-
gress In Electromagnetics Research B, Vol. 17, pp.
69-84 (2009). doi: 10.2528/PIERB09061709
161
[37] Pan, W. T., “A New Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm:
Taking the Financial Distress Model as an Example,”
Knowledge-Based Systems, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 69-74
(2012). doi: 10.1016/j.knosys.2011.07.001
[38] Pan, W. T., “A New Evolutionary Computation Ap-
proach: Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm,” 2011 Con-
ference of Digital Technology and Innovation Man-
agement, pp. 382-391 (2011).
[39] Zhao, B., Guo, C. X. and Cao, Y. J., “Optimal Power
Flow Using Particle Swarm Optimization and Non-
Stationary Multi-Stage Assignment Penalty Function,”
Transactions of China Electrotechnical Society, Vol.
19, No. 5, pp. 47-54 (2004). doi: 10.3321/j.issn:1000-
6753.2004.05.010
[40] Chen, Y. Y. and Lin, J. T., “Hierarchical Multi-Con-
straint Production Planning Problem Using Linear
Programming and Heuristics,” Journal of the Chinese
Institute of Industrial Engineers, Vol. 25, No. 5, pp.
347-357 (2008). doi: 10.1080/10170660809509098
[41] Yu, P. Y. and Bai, X. M., “Adaptive Quantum-Behaved
Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm,” IRACST-In-
ternational Journal of Computer Science and Informa-
tion Technology & Security, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 259-263
(2013).
[42] Pan, W. T., Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm, Tsang
Hai Book Publishing Co., Taizhong, pp. 9-13 (2011).
[43] Meerschaert, M. M., Mathematical Modeling, 4th ed.,
China Machine Press, Beijing, pp. 3-50 (2014).
[44] Choi, S. K., Grandhi, R. V. and Canfield, R. A., Reli-
ability-Based Structural Design, Springer London Ltd,
London, pp. 153-201 (2006).
[45] Fan, Q. X. and Yang, Z. J., “On a Sensitivity-Analysis-
Based Design Method for Shearer Parts,” The Open
Mechanical Engineering Journal, Vol. 8, pp. 409-413
(2014). doi: 10.2174/1874155X01408010409
Manuscript Received: Jul. 31, 2015
Accepted: Nov. 22, 2015
 Call for Papers

Tamkang University was founded in 1950 and Tamkang Journal was published since 1962.
Starting from 1998, Tamkang Journal was divided into two, which are Tamkang Journal of Sci-
ence and Engineering and Tamkang Journal of Humanity and Social Science. Tamkang Journal
of Science and Engineering became an international journal since 2000 and four issues are pub-
lished each year. Tamkang Journal of Science and Engineering has been published under the
new title Journal of Applied Science and Engineering (JASE) since 2012. This peer-reviewed
journal with a new-look cover will continue to be published quarterly in print and online
(http://jase.tku.edu.tw).
Journal of Applied Science and Engineering (JASE) devotes to addressing the following
broad research topics: Aerospace Engineering, Applied and Engineering Mathematics, Applied
Physics, Architecture, Biochemistry and Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical
and Materials Engineering, Computer Science and Information Engineering, Electrical Engi-
neering, Mechanical and Electromechanical Engineering, and Environmental Engineering.
Each issue will focus on a particular topic as possible as we can to persistently pursue advanced
research papers from all areas. Each article published in this journal is included in EI
Compendex/Scopus so far. We moreover hope JASE can be recognized by and included in
other well-known international databases, such as Science Citation Index Expanded and JCR in
the near future. As such, we would like to sincerely invite the prestige and devoted researchers
to submit their significant research results to Journal of Applied Science and Engineering
(JASE) through “Scholar One” Online Submission & Peer Review Service (website: https://
mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/jase). Your submission can not only significantly promote your
research effort but will also superb our journal.

View publication stats