Title: Branch-and-bound algorithm for solving blocking flowshop scheduling problems with makespan criterion

Authors: Saïd Toumi; Bassem Jarboui; Mansour Eddaly; Abdelwaheb Rebaï

Addresses: MODILS Laboratory, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Sfax, Tunisia ' MODILS Laboratory, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Sfax, Tunisia ' MODILS Laboratory, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Sfax, Tunisia ' MODILS Laboratory, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Sfax, Tunisia

Abstract: This paper deals with a permutation flowshop scheduling problem with blocking constraints. To minimise the makespan, it uses a branch-and-bound algorithm. A new lower bound is developed for the problem based upon the two machine-subproblem relaxation. Computational tests show the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

Keywords: flowshop scheduling; blocking constraints; permutation flowshops; lower bound; branch-and-bound algorithm; makespan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMOR.2017.080743

International Journal of Mathematics in Operational Research, 2017 Vol.10 No.1, pp.34 - 48

Received: 01 Jul 2014
Accepted: 01 Mar 2015
Published online: 06 Dec 2016 *

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