Fatigue and fracture reliability analysis under random loading

In this paper, the problem of fatigue crack propagation and ultimate fracture of a structure or mechanical component under random loading is addressed. The problem is formulated by combining the first passage failure model with stochastic models of crack propagation. The developed solution, based on the ensemble up-crossing rate approximation, requires a single mean crack growth computation, significantly speeds life-time analysis and allows consideration of non-destructive inspections. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 0438 461 725; Fax: +61 2 4021 6991; E-mail: andre.beck@studentmail.edu.au