Optimum Redundancy Allocation in Non Series-Parallel Systems By Using Boolean Differences

Another heuristic method for optimum redundancy allocation in a general system is presented. A numerical quantity called the weight of the Boolean difference is assigned to each component of the system, considering its structural redundancy, and then treating the problem as for a series system. An efficient method to determine these weights is proposed. The computation required in the proposed method is comparable to that for a series system. As for all heuristic methods, the proposed method also does not guarantee the optimum solution. The method, however, is fast and gives an integer solution.