Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 August 2008
In this paper, we study the Steiner 2-edge connected subgraph polytope.We introduce a large class of valid inequalities for this polytope calledthe generalized Steiner F-partition inequalities, that generalizesthe so-called Steiner F-partition inequalities. We show that theseinequalities together with the trivial and the Steiner cutinequalities completely describe the polytope on a class of graphsthat generalizes the wheels. We also describe necessary conditions forthese inequalities to be facet defining, and as a consequence, weobtain that the separation problem over the Steiner 2-edge connectedsubgraph polytope for that class of graphs can be solved in polynomialtime. Moreover, we discuss that polytope in the graphs that decomposeby 3-edge cutsets. And we show that the generalized SteinerF-partition inequalities together with the trivial and the Steinercut inequalities suffice to describe the polytope in a class of graphsthat generalizes the class of Halin graphs when the terminals have aparticular disposition. This generalizes a result of Barahona andMahjoub [4] for Halin graphs. This also yields apolynomial time cutting plane algorithm for the Steiner 2-edgeconnected subgraph problem in that class of graphs.