To address the inherent limitations of the traditional Animated Oat Optimization Algorithm (AOO), including poor uniformity of initial random population distribution and insufficient dynamic balance between global exploration and local exploitation, this paper proposes an Enhanced Animated Oat Optimization Algorithm (EAOO) incorporating multi-strategy improvements. First, the Sinusoidal chaotic map is introduced to replace the original random initialization method. Leveraging the ergodicity and uniformity of chaotic sequences, the spatial distribution of the population is optimized, and the diversity of the initial population is significantly enhanced. Second, a nonlinear disturbance factor is embedded into the position update of leaders during both the exploration and exploitation phases, enabling dynamic and adaptive adjustment of the search range. This effectively balances the algorithm’s capabilities in global exploration and local exploitation. Finally, an adaptive t-distribution mutation operator, combined with a dynamic selection strategy, is integrated. The degrees of freedom are adaptively adjusted throughout the iterative process, allowing the algorithm to switch between global escape and local fine-search modes, thereby overcoming the premature convergence deficiency of the original algorithm. Simulation and comparative experiments are conducted based on the CEC2017 and CEC2020 benchmark function suites. Systematic evaluations are carried out from multiple perspectives, including optimization accuracy, convergence speed, and statistical significance. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed EAOO achieves superior comprehensive performance across various complex function types—including unimodal, multimodal, hybrid, and composite functions—exhibiting higher optimization accuracy, faster convergence speed, and stronger robustness. Statistical tests further confirm the significant performance differences between EAOO and the compared algorithms. Furthermore, EAOO is applied to two typical constrained engineering optimization problems: welded beam design and pressure vessel design. The simulation results show that EAOO yields better structural design parameters and lower manufacturing costs, demonstrating outstanding practical value and broad application prospects in solving high-dimensional, nonlinear, constrained engineering optimization problems.
Wang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.