Structural safety analysis with engineering integrity assessment tools

Abstract

This paper presents computer tools developed at the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) for the assessment of flawed structures. They include flexible tools for assessing complicated structure-loading-crack configurations with the finite element method—most often used for failure analysis—and effective tools for rapid structural integrity assessments, even during the structural design phase. An integrated PC-based program system for engineering fracture analyses is described. The programs are applied to three practical examples and the feasibility of the system is shown by comparing the results with finite element (FE) results.