Disjunctive optimization, max-separable problems and extremal algebras

Abstract

The paper was motivated by solution methods suggested in the literature for solving linear optimization problems over (max,+)- or (max,min)-algebras and certain class of so called max-separable optimization problems. General features of these optimization problems, which play a crucial role in the optimization methods were used to formulate a general class of optimization problems with disjunctive constraints and a max-separable objective function and suggest a solution procedure for solving such problems. Linear problems over (max,+)-algebras and the max-separable problems are contained in this general class of optimization problems as special cases.