ABSTRACT
The minimal cut set is an important concept for fault tree analysis. A minimal cut set is defmed as the smallest combination of basic events which, if they all occur, will cause the top event to occur. For example, HnElnE7 is a combination of basic events sufficient to cause the top event. If even one of the failures in the minimal cut set, H, El or E7, does not happen, the top event will not take place due to that cut set. So, HnElnE7 is a minimal cut set. Knowing the minimal cut sets for a particular fault tree can provide valuable insight concerning potential weak points of complex systems.
