A hub location problem consists of locating p hubs in a network in order to collect and consolidate flow between node pairs. This thesis deals with the uncapacitated single allocation p-hub center problem (USApHCP) as a special type of hub location problem with min max objective function. Using the so-called radius formulation of the problem, the dimension of the polyhedron of USApHCP is derived. The formulation constraints are investigated to find out which of these define facets. Then, three new classes of facet-defining inequalities are derived. Finally, efficient procedures to separate facets in a branch-and-cut algorithm are proposed. The polyhedral analysis of USApHCP is based on a tight relation to the uncapacitated facility location problem (UFL). Hence, many results stated in this thesis also hold for UFL.
Polyhedral Analysis of Hub Center Problems
(2003)
