Abstract
It is well-known that finding the exact reliability polynomial of a given two-terminal network in general is a highly demanding computational task (belonging to the \(\#P\)-complete class of problems), while for particular networks this process might get to be significantly simpler (e.g., of polynomial complexity). This statement is especially true in the case of (very) large networks which cannot be reduced to compositions of simpler (e.g., series and parallel) networks, e.g., those containing complex bridge-type sub-networks. A promising, and not much explored approach, is to borrow concepts and methods from electrical circuits, in particular the delta-wye transformation which has long been established and used for computing exactly the equivalent resistance of a resistor network. We shall review how such concepts (from electronics) should be adapted and applied to reliability evaluations, showing that (as opposed to the case of electrical circuits) these are not always exact, hence sometimes leading to reliability estimates. We shall exemplify approximations of the reliability polynomials when using delta-wye transformations, and show that this approach is able to significantly reduce complexity. Finally, we will apply the delta-wye transformation method to the Moore-Shannon hammock networks (for the first time ever), and show how hammock networks can be transformed into ladder networks/graphs whose reliability can be easily computed by a recurrence formula. Illustrative examples revealing the accuracy of this type of approximation will also be presented.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chari, M.K., Feo, T.A., Provan, J.S.: The delta-wye approximation procedure for two-terminal reliability. Oper. Res. 44(5), 745–757 (1996)
Colbourn, C.J.: The Combinatorics of Network Reliability. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, UK (1987)
Cowell, S.R., Beiu, V., Dăuş, L., Poulin, P.: On the exact reliability enhancements of small hammock networks. IEEE Access 6, 25411–25426 (2018)
Cowell, S. R., Drăgoi, V.-F., Rohatinovici, N.-C., Beiu, V.: Effective conductances of Moore-Shannon hammocks. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Nanotech. (IEEE-NANO 2018), pp. 1–4 (art. 8626295), Cork, Ireland (2018)
Cowell, S.R., Hoară, S., Beiu, V.: Experimenting with beta distributions for approximating hammocks’ reliability. In: Dzitac, I., Dzitac, S., Filip, F.G., Kacprzyk, J., Manolescu, M.-J., Oros, H. (eds.) ICCCC 2020. AISC, vol. 1243, pp. 70–81. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53651-0_6
Cristescu, G., Drăgoi, V.-F.: Efficient approximation of two-terminal networks reliability polynomials using cubic splines. IEEE Trans. Reliab. 70(3), 1193–1203 (2021)
Cristescu, G., Drăgoi, V.-F., Hoară, S. H.: Generalized convexity properties and shape-based approximation in networks reliability. Mathematics 9(24), art. 3182, 1–21 (2021)
Dăuş, L., Beiu, V., Cowell, S. R., Poulin, P.: Brick-wall lattice paths and applications. Tech. Rep. arXiv (math.CO), 1–16 (2018). https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.05277
Dăuş, L., Jianu, M.: Full Hermite interpolation of the reliability of a hammock network. Appl. Anal. Discr. Math. 14(1), 198–220 (2020)
Dăuş, L., Jianu, M.: The shape of the reliability polynomial of a hammock network. In: Dzitac, I., Dzitac, S., Filip, F.G., Kacprzyk, J., Manolescu, M.-J., Oros, H. (eds.) ICCCC 2020. AISC, vol. 1243, pp. 93–105. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53651-0_8
Drăgoi, V.-F., Beiu, V.: Fast reliability ranking of matchstick minimal networks. Networks 79(4), 479–500 (2022)
Drăgoi, V.-F., Cowell, S.R., Beiu, V., Hoară, S.H., Gaşpar, P.: How reliable are compositions of series and parallel networks compared with hammocks? Intl. J. Comp. Comm. Ctrl. 13(5), 772–791 (2018)
Feo, T.A., Provan, J.S.: Delta-wye transformations and the efficient reduction of two-terminal planar graphs. Oper. Res. 41(3), 572–582 (1993)
Jianu, M., Ciuiu, D., Dăuş, L., Jianu, M.: Markov chain method for computing the reliability of hammock networks. Probab. Eng. Inf. Sci. 36(2), 276–293 (2022)
Kennelly, A.E.: The equivalence of triangles and three-pointed stars in conducting networks. Electr. World Eng. 34(12), 413–414 (1899)
Lehman, A.B.: Wye-delta transformations in probabilistic networks. J. SIAM 11(3), 773–805 (1963)
Moore, E.F., Shannon, C.E.: Reliable circuits using less reliable relays - Part I. J. Frankl. Inst. 262(3), 191–208 (1956)
von Neumann, J.: Probabilistic logics and the synthesis of reliable organisms from unreliable components. In: Shannon, C. E., McCarthy, J. (eds.): Automata Studies, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA, pp. 43–98 (1956). Based on five lectures given at Caltech during 4–15 January 1952. https://archive.org/details/vonNeumann_Prob_Logics_Rel_Org_Unrel_Comp_Caltec h_1952/mode/2up
Truemper, K.: On the delta-wye reduction for planar graphs. J. Graph Theory 13(2), 141–148 (1989)
Valiant, L.: The complexity of enumeration and reliability problems. SIAM J. Comp. 8(3), 410–421 (1979)
Acknowledgment
This research was partly supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-2495, within PNCDI III (ThUNDER\(^2\) = Techniques for Unconventional Nano-Designing in the Energy-Reliability Realm).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Jianu, M., Dăuş, L., Hoară, SH., Beiu, V. (2023). Using Delta-Wye Transformations for Estimating Networks’ Reliability. In: Dzitac, S., Dzitac, D., Filip, F.G., Kacprzyk, J., Manolescu, MJ., Oros, H. (eds) Intelligent Methods Systems and Applications in Computing, Communications and Control. ICCCC 2022. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1435. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16684-6_35
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16684-6_35
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-16683-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-16684-6
eBook Packages: Intelligent Technologies and RoboticsIntelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)