A DC piecewise affine model and a bundling technique in nonconvex nonsmooth minimization

We introduce an algorithm to minimize a function of several variables with no convexity nor smoothness assumptions. The main peculiarity of our approach is the use of an the objective function model which is the difference of two piecewise affine convex functions. Bundling and trust region concepts are embedded into the algorithm. Convergence of the … Read more

Minimizing nonconvex nonsmooth functions via cutting planes and proximity control

We describe an extension of the classical cutting plane algorithm to tackle the unconstrained minimization of a nonconvex, not necessarily differentiable function of several variables. The method is based on the construction of both a lower and an upper polyhedral approximation to the objective function and it is related to the use of the concept … Read more

A truncated SQP algorithm for solving nonconvex equality constrained optimization problems

An algorithm for solving equality constrained optimization problems is proposed. It can deal with nonconvex functions and uses a truncated conjugate algorithm for detecting nonconvexity. The algorithm ensures convergence from remote starting point by using line-search. Numerical experiments are reported, comparing the approach with the one implemented in the trust region codes ETR and Knitro. … Read more