Applications of a search algorithm to reliability design problems

Several applications are proposed for an efficient, fast and exact technique for solving integer programming problems that normally arise in optimal reliability design problems. The computational experience of solving these problems is described and the algorithm is found to be superior to any of the earlier methods available to date in solving a wide variety of reliability design problems. The paper aims to demonstrate this capability of the algorithm; as the algorithm is based on functional evaluations only, it solves even very large system problems economically