Probabilistic Methods In The Mechanics Of Solids And Structures

The IUTAM Symposium on Probabilistic Methods in the Mechanics of Solids and Structures, dedicated to the memory of Waloddi Weibull, was held in Stockholm, Sweden, June 19-21, 1984, on the initiative of the Swedish National Committee for Mech anics and the Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden, FFA. The purpose of the symposium was to bring together mathema ticians that develop the theory of stochastic processes and methods for reliability analysis, with engineers that apply these theories and methods to model loads, strengths and structures for the advancement of structural safety. Waloddi Weibull was a pioneer in this field with his many publi cations from the thirties until his death in 1979. He also took an active part in the formation of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics during the forties, and subsequently initiated foundation of the Swedish National Committee for Mechanics, through which Sweden joined IUTAM as a member. 116 participants from 21 countries attended the symposium, and 55 invited papers were presented in 7 scientific sessions.

This book contains contributions from various authors on different important topics related with probabilistic methods used for the design of structures. Initially several of the papers were prepared for advanced courses on structural reliability or on probabilistic methods for structural design. These courses have been held in different countries and have been given by different groups of lecturers. They were aimed at engineers and researchers who already had some exposure to structural reliability methods and thus they presented overviews of the work in the various topics. The book includes a selection of those contributions, which can be of support for future courses or for engineers and researchers that want to have an update on specific topics. It is considered a complement to the existing textbooks on structural reliability, which normally ensure the coverage of the basic topics but then are not extensive enough to cover some more specialised aspects. In addition to the contributions drawn from those lectures there are several papers that have been prepared specifically for this book, aiming at complementing the others in providing an overall account of the recent advances in the field. It is with sadness that in the meanwhile we have seen the disappearance of two of the contributors to the book and, in fact two of the early contributors to this field.

The need for a comprehensive book on probabilistic structural mechanics that brings together the many analytical and computational methods developed over the years and their applications in a wide spectrum of industries-from residential buildings to nuclear power plants, from bridges to pressure vessels, from steel structures to ceramic structures-became evident from the many discussions the editor had with practising engineers, researchers and professors. Because no single individual has the expertise to write a book with such a di.verse scope, a group of 39 authors from universities, research laboratories, and industries from six countries in three continents was invited to write 30 chapters covering the various aspects of probabilistic structural mechanics. The editor and the authors believe that this handbook will serve as a reference text to practicing engineers, teachers, students and researchers. It may also be used as a textbook for graduate-level courses in probabilistic structural mechanics. The editor wishes to thank the chapter authors for their contributions. This handbook would not have been a reality without their collaboration.

This text contains contributions from various authors on topics related to probabilistic methods used for the design of structures. Several of the papers were initially prepared for advanced courses on structural reliability or on probabilistic methods for structural design. These courses have been held in several countries and have been given by various groups of lecturers. They were aimed at engineers and researchers that had already been exposed to structural reliability methods, and presented overviews of the various topics. The book includes a selection of these contributions, which should be of use to future courses or for engineers and researchers who want an up-to-date overview. It is complementary to the existing textbooks on structural reliability, which normally cover the basic topics but exclude the more specialized aspects.

This volume contains the edited version of lectures and selected research contributions presented at the NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE on ADVANCES IN FATIGUE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. held in Alvor. Portugal, 4th to 15th of April 1988. and organized by CEMUL - Center of Mechanics and Materials of The Technical University of Lisbon. The Institute was attended by 101 participants, including 15 lecturers. from 14 countries. The participants were leading scientists and engineers from universities, research institutions and industry. and also Ph.D~ students. Some participants presented papers during the Institute reporting the state-of-art of their research projects. All the sessions wel'e very active and quite extensive discussions on scientific aspects took place during the Institute. The Advanced Study Institute provided a forum for interaction among eminent scientists and engineers. from different schools of thought and young researchers. The Institute addressed the foundations and current state of the art of essential aspects related to fatigue science and technology, namely: Short Cracks, Metallurgical Aspects, Environmental Fatigue, Threshold Behaviour, Notch Behaviour. Creep and Fatigue Interactions at High Temperature, Multiaxial Fatigue, Low Cycle Fatigue, Methodology of Fatigue Testing, Variable Amplitude Fatigue, Fatigue of Advanced Materials. Elastic-Plastic Fatigue, and several engineering applications such as welded joints, energy systems, offshore structures, automotive industry, machine and engine components. This book is organized in three parts: Part I: Fundamentals of Fatigue Part II: Engineering Applications Part III: Research Contributions The research contributions covered most of the areas referred above.

With the advent of the 80's there has been an increasing need for analytic and numerical techniques, based on a thorough understanding of microstructural processes, that express in a manner suitable for practicing engineers the reliability of components and structures that are being subjected to degradation situations. Such situations fall within the framework offracture mechanics, fatigue, corrosion fatigue and pitting corrosion. Luckily, such techniques are now being developed and it was felt timely to combine in one volume reports by the leaders in this field who are currently making great strides towards solving these problems. Hence the idea of this monograph was born and I am pleased to be associated both with it and the contributors whose chapters are included in this volume. A very large part of the credit for this monograph must go to the authors who have taken time out from their busy schedules to prepare their submissions. They have all worked diligently over the last few months in order to get their manuscripts to me on time and I sincerely thank them for their help throughout the preparation of this volume.

Well-written introduction covers the elements of the theory of probability from two or more random variables, the reliability of such multivariable structures, the theory of random function, Monte Carlo methods of treating problems incapable of exact solution, and more. No previous knowledge of the subject necessary. Numerous examples, illustrative figures.