Abstract: For guiding interdependent system construction and improving its vulnerability, it is helpful to research on the robustness of interdependent networks. Based on the related works, the cascading failure model of interdependent networks coupled by nodes’ betweenness was built, which considered comprehensively the nodes’ overload, interdependent nodes’ failure, and links’ loss. The robustness of interdependent networks was studied from the perspective of different coupled intensities, coupled patterns, and different nodes’ failure. Simulation results manifest that the robustness of assortative link interdependent networks is the best, the robustness of disassortative link interdependent networks is the worst. The robustness of interdependent networks with various coupled intensities is different. When the maximal degree node fails, it has the greatest impact on the robustness of the interdependent networks.

Key words: cascading failure, interdependent network, coupled intensity, coupled pattern, robustness