Title: Heuristic methods for solving redundancy allocation in complex systems

Authors: Pardeep Kumar, D.K. Chaturvedi, G.L. Pahuja

Addresses: Institute of Instrumentation Engineering, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra 136119, India. ' Institute of Instrumentation Engineering, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra 136119, India. ' Department of Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra 136119, India

Abstract: This paper presents two new heuristic methods for solving constrained redundancy allocation problems in varied complex systems, such as computer networks, communication systems, transportation systems, etc. The first method consists of two steps: selection of optimal path and then determination of optimal redundant subsystem in the chosen path. The second method consists of only one step, i.e. calculation of a sensitivity factor, which considerably reduces the iteration time. Computational results show that the first method consistently performs better than Shi|s method in terms of solution quality and computing time. The computational efficiency of the second method far exceeds the existing heuristics.

Keywords: redundancy optimisation; complex networks; heuristics; redundancy allocation; complex systems; optimal path selection; optimal redundant subsystem.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRS.2010.032449

International Journal of Reliability and Safety, 2010 Vol.4 No.2/3, pp.285 - 298

Published online: 02 Apr 2010 *

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