| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 266764 | Engineering Structures | 2014 | 12 Pages |
•Accurate stochastic polynomial chaos crack propagation model employed.•Number of inspections is a design variable, leading to discontinuous objective function with multiple local minima.•Critical crack size at which repair is performed is a relevant design variable.•Optimal inspection schedules highly sensitive w.r.t. costs of inspection and failure.•Optimal inspection schedules highly sensitive w.r.t. level of loading.
Operation of damage-tolerant structures or components subject to random crack propagation requires constant monitoring by non-destructive inspections and systematic maintenance actions. Optimization of inspection schedules and repair strategies is a compromise between costs of inspections and repairs, and expected costs of failure. This paper advances the state of the art by: considering accurate polynomial chaos model of the random crack propagation process; considering number of inspections and crack repair size as design variables and; by performing sensitivity analysis of optimal inspection schedules and repair strategies with respect to the assumed costs of inspection and failure, as well as to the level of loading.
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