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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

A review of modern approaches to fatigue reliability analysis and design

Metal fatigue is a principal mode of failure in components of mechanical systems. But fatigue design factors (e.g., stress, fatigue strength) are subject to considerable uncertainty. Therefore, relative to fatigue, reliability methods are appropriate for purposes of safety checking of designs, risk assessment, failure analysis, and development of code statements. Described herein are four methods which can be effectively employed for fatigue reliability analysis, (1) Monte Carlo methods, (2) the lognormal format, (3) the Weibull format, (4) the Rackwitz-Fiessler algorithm. Examples of the application of each are presented. In summary, no general reliability method can be recommended for all situations involving fatigue. The approach has to be tailored to the problem.

Wirsching, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The SURE reliability analysis program

The SURE program is a new reliability tool for ultrareliable computer system architectures. The program is based on computational methods recently developed for the NASA Langley Research Center. These methods provide an efficient means for computing accurate upper and lower bounds for the death state probabilities of a large class of semi-Markov models. Once a semi-Markov model is described using a simple input language, the SURE program automatically computes the upper and lower bounds on the probability of system failure. A parameter of the model can be specified as a variable over a range of values directing the SURE program to perform a sensitivity analysis automatically. This feature, along with the speed of the program, makes it especially useful as a design tool.

Butler, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Fracture mechanics concepts in reliability analysis of monolithic ceramics

Basic design concepts for high-performance, monolithic ceramic structural components are addressed. The design of brittle ceramics differs from that of ductile metals because of the inability of ceramic materials to redistribute high local stresses caused by inherent flaws. Random flaw size and orientation requires that a probabilistic analysis be performed in order to determine component reliability. The current trend in probabilistic analysis is to combine linear elastic fracture mechanics concepts with the two parameter Weibull distribution function to predict component reliability under multiaxial stress states. Nondestructive evaluation supports this analytical effort by supplying data during verification testing. It can also help to determine statistical parameters which describe the material strength variation, in particular the material threshold strength (the third Weibull parameter), which in the past was often taken as zero for simplicity.

Manderscheid, Jane M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Reliability analysis applied to structural tests

The application of reliability theory to predict, from structural fatigue test data, the risk of failure of a structure under service conditions because its load-carrying capability is progressively reduced by the extension of a fatigue crack, is considered. The procedure is applicable to both safe-life and fail-safe structures and, for a prescribed safety level, it will enable an inspection procedure to be planned or, if inspection is not feasible, it will evaluate the life to replacement. The theory has been further developed to cope with the case of structures with initial cracks, such as can occur in modern high-strength materials which are susceptible to the formation of small flaws during the production process. The method has been applied to a structure of high-strength steel and the results are compared with those obtained by the current life estimation procedures. This has shown that the conventional methods can be unconservative in certain cases, depending on the characteristics of the structure and the design operating conditions. The suitability of the probabilistic approach to the interpretation of the results from full-scale fatigue testing of aircraft structures is discussed and the assumptions involved are examined.

Diamond, P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Stress and Reliability Analysis of a Metal-Ceramic Dental Crown

Interaction of mechanical and thermal stresses with the flaws and microcracks within the ceramic region of metal-ceramic dental crowns can result in catastrophic or delayed failure of these restorations. The objective of this study was to determine the combined influence of induced functional stresses and pre-existing flaws and microcracks on the time-dependent probability of failure of a metal-ceramic molar crown. A three-dimensional finite element model of a porcelain fused-to-metal (PFM) molar crown was developed using the ANSYS finite element program. The crown consisted of a body porcelain, opaque porcelain, and a metal substrate. The model had a 300 Newton load applied perpendicular to one cusp, a load of 30ON applied at 30 degrees from the perpendicular load case, directed toward the center, and a 600 Newton vertical load. Ceramic specimens were subjected to a biaxial flexure test and the load-to-failure of each specimen was measured. The results of the finite element stress analysis and the flexure tests were incorporated in the NASA developed CARES/LIFE program to determine the Weibull and fatigue parameters and time-dependent fracture reliability of the PFM crown. CARES/LIFE calculates the time-dependent reliability of monolithic ceramic components subjected to thermomechanical and/Or proof test loading. This program is an extension of the CARES (Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures) computer program.

Anusavice, Kenneth J↗
NASA NTRS1972

NASA program decisions using reliability analysis.

NASA made use of the analytical outputs of reliability people to make management decisions on the Apollo program. Such decisions affected the amount of the incentive fees, how much acceptance testing was necessary, how to optimize development testing, whether to approve engineering changes, and certification of flight readiness. Examples of such analysis are discussed and related to programmatic decisions.-

Steinberg, A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Reliability analysis of composite structures

A probabilistic static stress analysis methodology has been developed to estimate the reliability of a composite structure. Closed form stress analysis methods are the primary analytical tools used in this methodology. These structural mechanics methods are used to identify independent variables whose variations significantly affect the performance of the structure. Once these variables are identified, scatter in their values is evaluated and statistically characterized. The scatter in applied loads and the structural parameters are then fitted to appropriate probabilistic distribution functions. Numerical integration techniques are applied to compute the structural reliability. The predicted reliability accounts for scatter due to variability in material strength, applied load, fabrication and assembly processes. The influence of structural geometry and mode of failure are also considerations in the evaluation. Example problems are given to illustrate various levels of analytical complexity.

Kan, Han-Pin↗
NASA NTRS1991

Reliability analysis of structural ceramics subjected to biaxial flexure

The reliability of alumina disks subjected to biaxial flexure is predicted on the basis of statistical fracture theory using a critical strain energy release rate fracture criterion. Results on a sintered silicon nitride are consistent with reliability predictions based on pore-initiated penny-shaped cracks with preferred orientation normal to the maximum principal stress. Assumptions with regard to flaw types and their orientations in each ceramic can be justified by fractography. It is shown that there are no universal guidelines for selecting fracture criteria or assuming flaw orientations in reliability analyses.

Chao, Luen-Yuan↗
NASA NTRS2001

Multidisciplinary System Reliability Analysis

The objective of this study is to develop a new methodology for estimating the reliability of engineering systems that encompass multiple disciplines. The methodology is formulated in the context of the NESSUS probabilistic structural analysis code, developed under the leadership of NASA Glenn Research Center. The NESSUS code has been successfully applied to the reliability estimation of a variety of structural engineering systems. This study examines whether the features of NESSUS could be used to investigate the reliability of systems in other disciplines such as heat transfer, fluid mechanics, electrical circuits etc., without considerable programming effort specific to each discipline. In this study, the mechanical equivalence between system behavior models in different disciplines are investigated to achieve this objective. A new methodology is presented for the analysis of heat transfer, fluid flow, and electrical circuit problems using the structural analysis routines within NESSUS, by utilizing the equivalence between the computational quantities in different disciplines. This technique is integrated with the fast probability integration and system reliability techniques within the NESSUS code, to successfully compute the system reliability of multidisciplinary systems. Traditional as well as progressive failure analysis methods for system reliability estimation are demonstrated, through a numerical example of a heat exchanger system involving failure modes in structural, heat transfer and fluid flow disciplines.

Mahadevan, Sankaran↗
NASA NTRS1997

Multi-Disciplinary System Reliability Analysis

The objective of this study is to develop a new methodology for estimating the reliability of engineering systems that encompass multiple disciplines. The methodology is formulated in the context of the NESSUS probabilistic structural analysis code developed under the leadership of NASA Lewis Research Center. The NESSUS code has been successfully applied to the reliability estimation of a variety of structural engineering systems. This study examines whether the features of NESSUS could be used to investigate the reliability of systems in other disciplines such as heat transfer, fluid mechanics, electrical circuits etc., without considerable programming effort specific to each discipline. In this study, the mechanical equivalence between system behavior models in different disciplines are investigated to achieve this objective. A new methodology is presented for the analysis of heat transfer, fluid flow, and electrical circuit problems using the structural analysis routines within NESSUS, by utilizing the equivalence between the computational quantities in different disciplines. This technique is integrated with the fast probability integration and system reliability techniques within the NESSUS code, to successfully compute the system reliability of multi-disciplinary systems. Traditional as well as progressive failure analysis methods for system reliability estimation are demonstrated, through a numerical example of a heat exchanger system involving failure modes in structural, heat transfer and fluid flow disciplines.

Mahadevan, Sankaran↗
NASA NTRS1992

A new response surface approach for structural reliability analysis

This paper describes a new approach for computing structural reliability by post-processing previously computed probabilistic results for stress and strength. The objective is to provide an accurate method whereby independent probabilistic analyses for stress and strength functions can be performed independently and combined at a later time to compute probability of failure. The method provides a capability for testing different strength measures without the need for re-computing the probabilistic stress response. The proposed approach takes full account of the basic random variables effecting both stress and strength, and the failure region in the variable space identified during separate stress/strength probabilistic analyses. A simple closed-form example and a more complex analysis of a turbine blade subject to creep rupture is used to illustrate the method.

Thacker, B. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Decomposition in reliability analysis of fault-tolerant systems

The existing approaches to reliability modeling are briefly reviewed. An examination of the limitations of the existing approaches in modeling ultrareliable fault-tolerant systems illustrates the need to use decomposition techniques. The notion of behavioral decomposition is introduced for dealing with reliability models with a large number of states, and a series of examples is presented. The CARE (computer-aided reliability estimation) and HARP (hybrid automated reliability predictor) approaches to reliability are discussed.

Trivedi, K. S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

CCARES: A computer algorithm for the reliability analysis of laminated CMC components

Structural components produced from laminated CMC (ceramic matrix composite) materials are being considered for a broad range of aerospace applications that include various structural components for the national aerospace plane, the space shuttle main engine, and advanced gas turbines. Specifically, these applications include segmented engine liners, small missile engine turbine rotors, and exhaust nozzles. Use of these materials allows for improvements in fuel efficiency due to increased engine temperatures and pressures, which in turn generate more power and thrust. Furthermore, this class of materials offers significant potential for raising the thrust-to-weight ratio of gas turbine engines by tailoring directions of high specific reliability. The emerging composite systems, particularly those with silicon nitride or silicon carbide matrix, can compete with metals in many demanding applications. Laminated CMC prototypes have already demonstrated functional capabilities at temperatures approaching 1400 C, which is well beyond the operational limits of most metallic materials. Laminated CMC material systems have several mechanical characteristics which must be carefully considered in the design process. Test bed software programs are needed that incorporate stochastic design concepts that are user friendly, computationally efficient, and have flexible architectures that readily incorporate changes in design philosophy. The CCARES (Composite Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures) program is representative of an effort to fill this need. CCARES is a public domain computer algorithm, coupled to a general purpose finite element program, which predicts the fast fracture reliability of a structural component under multiaxial loading conditions.

Duffy, Stephen F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Reliability analysis techniques for engine-out failures in main propulsion systems

Reliability formulas are derived for a liquid main propulsion system consisting of n engines, which allows for mission success in the event a single-engine controlled shutdown occurs afer some given time. The formulas include terms to reflect different reliabilities at different engine power levels, startup and throttling reliabilities, benign and catastrophic failures, and failure-distribution scale and shape parameters. These formulas can be used for reliability analyses and sensitivity studies. A parametric launch-vehicle reliability-comparison technique for conceptual preliminary design studies is also described.

Lee, Robert A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

HIFiRE Flight 2 Unstart Reliability Analysis

The objective of this work was to assess the unstart reliability of the HIFiRE Flight 2 system. To do this, a quantification of margins and uncertainties framework was used for comparing model predictions of the predicted combustion induced shock location to the predicted last stable shock location within the isolator. Uncertainty sources included parametric uncertainty in the flight conditions, the heat release model, and turbulence modeling, as well as model verification errors. Additionally, an estimate of model-form uncertainty was established by comparing the model to measured ground test data. A computationally efficient non-intrusive polynomial chaos approach was used to propagate parametric uncertainty through the computational flu-ids dynamics models of both the ground test configuration and the flight vehicle. Compared to direct-connect ground test data, computational fluid dynamics predictions yielded about two duct heights of model-form uncertainty. This was applied to a prediction of flight vehicle unstart margin at the Mach 6.5 flight condition. Building up all of the computational model uncertainty, including parametric uncertainty, verification errors, and the determined model-form uncertainty, a 95% probability level based confidence ratio, or a ratio of total uncertainty to a statistical margin measure, was found to be 0.31 for the flight system.

Thomas K West↗
NASA NTRS1994

Probability techniques for reliability analysis of composite materials

Traditional design approaches for composite materials have employed deterministic criteria for failure analysis. New approaches are required to predict the reliability of composite structures since strengths and stresses may be random variables. This report will examine and compare methods used to evaluate the reliability of composite laminae. The two types of methods that will be evaluated are fast probability integration (FPI) methods and Monte Carlo methods. In these methods, reliability is formulated as the probability that an explicit function of random variables is less than a given constant. Using failure criteria developed for composite materials, a function of design variables can be generated which defines a 'failure surface' in probability space. A number of methods are available to evaluate the integration over the probability space bounded by this surface; this integration delivers the required reliability. The methods which will be evaluated are: the first order, second moment FPI methods; second order, second moment FPI methods; the simple Monte Carlo; and an advanced Monte Carlo technique which utilizes importance sampling. The methods are compared for accuracy, efficiency, and for the conservativism of the reliability estimation. The methodology involved in determining the sensitivity of the reliability estimate to the design variables (strength distributions) and importance factors is also presented.

Wetherhold, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A Markov model reduction technique for fault tolerant processor reliability analysis

A fault tolerant processor (FTP) plays a key role in many high performance, safety-critical control system applications. Realistic modeling of an FTP is crucial to gaining a high degree of confidence in the reliability and safety analysis of such a system. While fidelity is clearly a major consideration, a practical model must also be kept to a moderate size to allow its incorporation into the overall system model. This paper presents a systematic reduction technique that starts from a complex, detailed model of a triple, redundant FTP and produces a low order approximation of very high accuracy. The existence of two distinct time scales represents the key to the success of the technique. No eigenvalue solution or coordinate transformation are needed. The reduced model captures all the important features of the detailed model, is amenable to an analytical solution and provides insight into the reconfiguration behavior of an FTP.

Schor, Andrei L.↗