Implementation of a factoring algorithm for reliability evaluation of undirected networks

A description is given of a FORTRAN implementation of a factoring algorithm (LR-F) for reliability evaluation of undirected networks. The algorithm is used in conjunction with PolyChain, a FORTRAN program for reliability evaluation of undirected networks of a special structure via polygon-to-chain reductions. PolyChain is used as a preprocessor to reduce the size of the network. It places a constraint on the topology of the input network, requiring it to be nonseparable. The present version of PolyChain checks for this condition. In the case of separable networks a code using PolyChain as a subrouting can be used to compute the reliability of each nonseparable component and then the overall reliability of the network. A brief theoretical review of the LR-F factoring algorithm and the design and implementation of the code is presented. >