Structural Reliability and Availability Analysis through Simulation

Abstract

In this paper, some potential applications of simulation in structural reliability and availability are presented.  Unlike the analytical methods, where assumptions that simplify complex analysis often need to be made, simulation methods can model the structure reliability without simplifying the problem. We propose the use of statistical distributions and techniques –such as survival analysis– to model component-level reliability.  Then, using failure- and repair-time distributions and information about the structural logical topology, structural reliability and availability information can be inferred through the use of discrete-event simulation techniques. Two numerical examples illustrate some potential applications of the proposed methodology.