On the Integrating of non-destructive testing and probabilistic fracture mechanics

The integration of non-destructive testing and probabilistic fracture mechanics offers the possibility to gain realistic fracture mechanical assessment results considering nearly all uncertainties of the input values. This concept is realized with the software PVrisk which allows a deterministic, a parametric and a probabilistic analysis. The features of the software are summarized. The software was especially designed for taking non-destructive testing results into account. Therefore, the probability of detection of a non-destructive testing method can also be considered. This information leads to a refinement of the analysis. Since the result of a probabilistic analysis is a probability of failure the visualization of the results is an important part of the assessment. Different concepts and possibilities are scrutinized and the important aspects are discussed.