General purpose stochastic analysis software for optimal maintenance scheduling: application to a fatigue-prone structural component

To ensure the reliability of a structure, the inherent uncertainties in loads, materials and manufacturing quality must be considered during structural design. In those situations where variations in design and operating environment result in considerable variability of the performance of a system, it is critical for engineers to search for a robust design. A robust design is one in which the performance deviation is within acceptable limits. The objective of this paper is to present a life cycle management tool for practical applications using general purpose software. An overview of the tools which are required to solve the robust design problem is presented. In addition, the interaction with deterministic finite element codes required for the applicability of the proposed approach in engineering practice is also addressed. A challenging problem of reliability-based optimisation and life cycle management demonstrates the applicability of the approach.