What is Remnant Life Assessment (RLA)?

Life Prediction and Management of Cracked High Temperature Structures

Managing cracked high-temperature structures is crucial for both safety and economic reasons. This involves a complex interplay of fields such as material science, structural engineering, and mechanics. Expertise in these domains is essential.

This paper focuses on implementing an expert system that combines material, condition, and knowledge databases using advanced time-dependent fracture mechanics. The system utilizes various assessment criteria, including multi-defect interactions, invalidation criteria, and creep-fatigue interactions in its inference engine.

By doing so, it reduces the overly conservative estimates typically associated with traditional methods of life prediction. Consequently, this improvement enhances the accuracy of predicted lifespan. Ultimately, this approach enables intelligent and expert management of cracked high-temperature structures, providing a robust and practical tool.