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Abstract
This article introduces an improved algorithm using State-Space Decomposition for exact reliability evaluation of multistate networks given all minimal path vectors (d-MPs for short). We make two main contributions to the area. First, during each recursive call for the decomposition process, we find that the set of d-MPs can be decomposed recursively, and only those qualified d-MPs from a previous set of unspecified states are needed. Second, an improved heuristic rule is proposed choose an appropriate d-MP to decompose each set of unspecified states. Then, efficiency investigations of the proposed algorithm are conducted using hypothetical networks by changing one of the following network parameters while fixing the others, namely, the number of components, the number of d-MPs, and the number of states for each component. Efficiency investigations on networks with known structures are also conducted. Based on the computational experiments, it is found that (i) the proposed algorithm is more efficient than existing algorithms using the state-space decomposition method; (ii) the proposed algorithm is more efficient than existing algorithms using the Recursive Sum of Disjoint Products method when the number of d-MPs is not too small; and (iii) the indirect approach incorporating the proposed algorithm is more efficient than existing direct approaches. Guidelines for choosing the appropriate algorithm are provided. In addition, an algorithm is developed for network reliability evaluation given all minimal cut vectors (d-MCs for short).
Acknowledgments
Comments and suggestions from the editor and anonymous reviewers are very much appreciated.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Guanghan Bai
Guanghan Bai received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the National University of Defense Technology, Hunan, China. He received a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 2016. He is currently a lecturer in the Laboratory of Science and Technology on Integrated Logistics Support, National University of Defense Technology. His research focus is network reliability and system resilience.
Zhigang Tian
Zhigang Tian is currently an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He received his B.S. degree in 2000 and M.S. degree in 2003, both from Dalian University of Technology, China, and his Ph.D. degree in 2007 from the University of Alberta. His research interests mainly focus on prognostics, pipeline integrity management, reliability engineering, condition-based maintenance, renewable energy systems, etc. He received the 2011 Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award. He is a Fellow of the International Society of Engineering Asset Management (ISEAM) and a member of INFORMS.
Ming J. Zuo
Ming J. Zuo is currently a full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta, Canada. His research interests include system reliability analysis, maintenance modeling and optimization, signal processing, and fault diagnosis. He is an associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Reliability, a department editor of IISE Transactions, a regional editor for the North and South American region of the International Journal of Strategic Engineering Asset Management, and an editorial board member of Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, International Journal of Quality, Reliability and Safety Engineering, and International Journal of Performability Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers, Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, Founding Fellow of the International Society of Engineering Asset Management, and Senior Member of IEEE.