A Method for Determining the Most Vital Arcs in Minimum Cost Flow Problem

최소비용문제에서 치명호를 결정하는 방법

The purpose of this paper is to find the most vital arc in the minimum cost flow problem. The most vital arc is the arc whose removal results in the greatest influence in the costs or the amount of demands in a given minimum cost flow network. This problem can be well applied to the conflict situations such as military logistics network or communications network. In this situation, network user wants to know which arcs are the most vital to him so that he can reinforce these arcs against attack, while interdictor wants to destroy these arcs which increase the distance of the shortest path most through the network. When one of arcs is removed from the network of the minimum cost flow problem, two kinds of situations can be occurred ; breaking feasibility and increasing cost. In case of breaking feasibility, the rank of arcs are determined using the amount of modified flow in a related network which is made of modifying the optimal alternative of the minimum cost flow problem. The rank of arcs with the increased costs are determined by using a method which finds the directed cycle with the minimum cost in a related network.