Algorithms for Generating Minimal Cutsets by Inversion

Abstract

This paper studies the problem of inverting minimal paths to obtain minimal cutsets (or vice versa) for s-coherent systems. The theoretical results lead to simplified inversion by a sequential method. Strategies are discussed for implementing these simplifications efficiently. Computational results, obtained by applying the algorithms to standard problems drawn from the literature, indicate that a substantial reduction in computational effort can be achieved by such simplifications.