Advanced reliability methods - A review

Abstract

There are a number of challenges to the current practices for Probability of Detection (POD) assessment. Some Nondestructive Testing (NDT) methods, especially those that are image-based, may not provide a simple relationship between a scalar NDT response and a damage size. Some damage types are not easily characterized by a single scalar metric. Other sensing paradigms, such as structural health monitoring, could theoretically replace NDT but require a POD estimate. And the cost of performing large empirical studies to estimate POD can be prohibitive. The response of the research community has been to develop new methods that can be used to generate the same information, POD, in a form that can be used by engineering designers. This paper will highlight approaches to image-based data and complex defects, Model Assisted POD estimation, and Bayesian methods for combining information. This paper will also review the relationship of the POD estimate, confidence bounds, tolerance bounds, and risk assessment.