Optimal redundancy allocation in complex systems

Purpose ‐ This paper aims to focus on solving highly constrained redundancy optimization problems in binary complex systems. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The proposed algorithm searches a possibly improved solution in the k-neighborhood (k=2) of the current best feasible solution, by adding one unit in a selected subsystem and eliminating one from some other subsystem(s). Findings ‐ The algorithm is tested on complex system structures from the literature by solving a set of problems (with both linear and non-linear constraints), with given and randomly generated data. It is observed that, compared with the other existing heuristics, there is much overall improvement in various performance measures. Practical implications ‐ The proposed algorithm is a better alternative and can be easily and efficiently applied to numerous real life systems such as computer and communication systems, telecommunication networks, automobile, nuclear and defense systems etc., giving optimal/near-optimal solutions. Originality/value ‐ Researchers in reliability optimization have placed emphasis on heuristic approaches. The paper presents a new heuristic algorithm for solving the constrained redundancy optimization problems in complex binary systems.