Computational modeling issues and methods for the “regulatory problem” in engineering – Solutions to the structural dynamics and static frame problems

Many of the problems addressed through engineering analysis include a set of regulatory (or other) probabilistic requirements that must be demonstrated with some degree of confidence through the analysis. Problems cast in this environment can pose new challenges for computational analyses in both model validation and model-based prediction. The “regulatory problems” given for the “Sandia challenge problems exercise”, while relatively simple, provide an opportunity to demonstrate methods that address these challenges. This paper describes and illustrates methods that can be useful in analysis of the regulatory problem. Specifically, we discuss:(1)an approach for quantifying variability and uncertainty separately to assess the regulatory requirements and provide a statement of confidence; and(2)a general validation metric to focus the validation process on a specific range of the predictive distribution (the predictions near the regulatory threshold).These methods are illustrated using the challenge problems. Solutions are provided for both the static frame and structural dynamics problems.