A Combinatorial Optimization Approach for Air Cargo Palletization and Aircraft Loading

Xiangling Zhao, Yun Dong () and Lei Zuo
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Xiangling Zhao: The National Frontiers Science Center for Industrial Intelligence and Systems Optimization, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Yun Dong: The Key Laboratory of Data Analytics and Optimization for Smart Industry, Ministry of Education, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Lei Zuo: Department of Flight Operation, College of Air Traffic Management, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China

Mathematics, 2023, vol. 11, issue 13, 1-16

Abstract: The current air cargo loading plan handles the Air Cargo Palletization Problem (ACPP) and the Aircraft Weight and Balance Problem (WBP) separately, which has an impact on the optimization of the payload and the aircraft’s center of gravity (CG). Thanks to improvements in computer processing power, the joint combinatorial optimization of ACPP and WBP is now feasible. Three integer linear programming models are proposed: a Bi-objective Optimization Model (BOM), a Combinatorial Optimization Model (COM), and an Improved Combinatorial Optimization Model (IOM). The objectives of the models are the maximum loading capacity and the lowest CG deviation from a specified target CG. The models also consider a wide range of restrictions in the actual packing and stowage procedures, such as volume, weight, loading position, aircraft balance, and other aspects of aircraft and unit load devices. Four scenarios with various conditional metrics for three models are solved for the B777F aircraft using Gurobi. The results of the computations demonstrate that the BOM has the fastest solution speed, but the CG deviation is the largest, and in several cases the CG deviation results are unacceptable. The COM has the longest solution time, which is difficult to tolerate in practice. Despite taking a little longer to solve computationally than the BOM, the IOM offers the best optimization solution.

Keywords: constrained optimization; transportation; air cargo; loading problems; packing problems; load balance; aircraft weight and balance; stowage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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