Decomposition's Dantzig-Wolfe applied to fuzzy multicommodity flow problems

We present, in this paper, a method for solving linear programming problems with fuzzy costs based on the classical method of decomposition's Dantzig-Wolfe. Methods using decomposition techniques address problems that have a special structure in the set of constraints. An example of such a problem that has this structure is the fuzzy multicommodity flow problem. This problem can be modeled by a graph whose nodes represent points of supply, demand and passage of commodities, which travel on the arcs of the network. The objective is to determine the flow of each commodity on the arcs, in order to meet demand at minimal cost while respecting the capacity constraints of the arcs and the flow conservation constraints of the nodes. Using the theory of fuzzy sets, the proposed method aims to find the optimal solution, working with the problem in the fuzzy form during the resolution procedure. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.