Algorithmic Solutions to Some Transportation Optimization Problems with Applications in the Metallurgical Industry

Abstract: In this paper we address several constrained transportation optimization problems (e.g. vehicle routing, shortest Hamiltonian path), for which we present novel algorithmic solutions and extensions, considering several optimization objectives, like minimizing costs and resource usage. All the considered problems are motivated by practical situations arising, for instance, in the mining and metallurgical industry or in data communication. We restrict our attention to transportation networks with path, tree or geometric structures, for which the developed polynomial-time algorithms are optimal or nearly optimal.