Network Robustness Analysis Based on Maximum Flow

Abstract

Network robustness is the ability of a network to maintain a certain level of structural integrity and its original functions after being attacked, and it is the key to whether the damaged network can continue to operate normally. We define two types of robustness evaluation indicators based on network maximum flow: flow capacity robustness, which assesses the ability of the network to resist attack, and flow recovery robustness, which assesses the ability to rebuild the network after an attack on the network. To verify the effectiveness of the robustness indicators proposed in this study, we simulate four typical networks and analyze their robustness, and the results show that a high-density random network is stronger than a low-density network in terms of connectivity and resilience; the growth rate parameter of scale-free network does not have a significant impact on robustness changes in most cases; the greater the average degree of a regular network, the greater the robustness; the robustness of small-world network increases with the increase in the average degree. In addition, there is a critical damage rate (when the node damage rate is less than this critical value, the damaged nodes and edges can almost be completely recovered) when examining flow recovery robustness, and the critical damage rate is around 20%. Flow capacity robustness and flow recovery robustness enrich the network structure indicator system and more comprehensively describe the structural stability of real networks.

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