Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Harmony Search Algorithm in Geomechanics and Its Applications

The harmony search (HS) algorithm is one of the meta-heuristic algorithms that was inspired by the concept of the musical process with the aim of harmony, to achieve the best solution. In comparison with other meta-heuristic algorithms, one of the most significant characteristics of this algorithm that has increased the flexibility of the algorithm in search of solution spaces is the use of all the solutions in its memory. The literature review shows that, according to the high efficiency of the harmony search algorithm, it has been widely used in various sciences in recent years. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to review the applications of the harmony search algorithm in geomechanics which is a significant research topic in the engineering and academic sectors. For this purpose, articles of geomechanics including the two main disciplines, namely soil mechanics and rock mechanics, are evaluated from 2011 to 2021. Also, two qualitative and quantitative investigations are applied to review articles based on the Web of Science (WOS) platform. This study indicates that the harmony search algorithm can be applied as a powerful tool for modeling some problems involved in geomechanics.