Calculation of System Reliability by Algebraic Manipulation of Probability Expressions

The method of synthesis for calculating the reliability of a complex network was developed by Woodcock. However, he experienced some difficulty in properly incorporating s-dependency, and this often necessitated considerable manipulation of the network beforehand. This difficulty is overcome in the present method by working with algebraic expressions involving component failure probabilities, and combining these expressions according to a simple set of rules. Experimental results are encouraging.