Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Publication Title
Operations Research Forum
Keywords
system performance validatio, worst-case system performance, robust optimization, supply chain networks--disruption, multi-state system disruption, reformulation linearization technique
Abstract
Reliable performance of large-scale engineered systems is difficult to guarantee when components experience gradual rather than complete failures. Traditional reliability approaches based on binary operational states cannot formally validate performance under such graded disruptions. This study develops an optimization-based framework for validating worst-case system performance under multi-state disruptions with linear or exactly linearizable performance measures, polyhedral adaptive-response structures, and continuous polyhedral or discrete combinatorial disruption sets. The framework models adaptive system responses, such as rerouting and resource reallocation, through a nested optimization that captures the interplay between failures and operational decisions. A dual reformulation combined with the Reformulation–Linearization Technique transforms the resulting nonconvex validation problem into a tractable linear relaxation, providing provable upper bounds on worst-case performance. The methodology is applied to multi-echelon supply chain networks to examine performance degradation under continuous, bounded, and combinatorial disruption scenarios. Numerical analyses demonstrate that the framework efficiently identifies critical vulnerabilities, yields tight performance bounds for the tested instances where the true worst-case values can be certified, and provides computationally tractable, provable upper bounds across all tested instances. The findings extend reliability validation beyond binary failure models, offering a rigorous foundation for resilience assessment in complex service networks.
Funding Source
This article was published open access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Springer Nature.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
DOI
10.1007/s43069-026-00713-3
Recommended Citation
Chandra, A. (2026). Validating Worst-Case System Performance Under Multi-State System Disruptions: Evidence from Supply Chain Networks. Operations Research Forum 7, 125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43069-026-00713-3
Comments
First published in Operations Research Forum (2026): https://doi.org/10.1007/s43069-026-00713-3