An algorithm to solve integer programming problems: an efficient tool for reliability design

Abstract

In many reliability design problems, the decision variables can only have integer values. The redundancy allocation is an example of one such problem; others include spare parts allocation, or repairmen allocation, which necessitate an integer programming formulation. In other words, integer programming plays an important role in system reliability optimization. In this paper, an algorithm is presented which provides an exact, simple and economical solution to any general class of integer programming problems and thereby offers reliability designers an efficient tool for system design. The algorithm can be used effectively to solve a wide variety of reliability design problems. The scope of use of this algorithm is also indicated and the procedure is illustrated by an example.