TITLE    = New approaches to the pallet loading problem

FILE     = /pub/reports/others/pallet.ps.Z
AUTHORS  = Josef Neli{\ss}en
PAGES    = 41
ABSTRACT = This paper considers the pallet loading problem of packing
           a large containing rectangle, orthogonally, with identical
	   copies of a small `contained' rectangle. The problem is
	   commonly solved by applying heuristic algorithms, mostly
	   based on block designs. The optimality of a heuristic
	   solution can be proven by upper bounds, which can be
	   computed by elaborate procedures. If the upper bound and
	   the best solution obtained so far do not coincide, exact
	   algorithms of branch\&bound type are applied.

	   This report reviews the state of the art and proposes some
	   new heuristics and a new procedure to compute upper bounds
	   based on structural constraints. First empirical results
	   are encouraging in both cases.