Mechanical-strength reliability evaluation using an iterative approach

An iterative approach for using microcomputer software for the evaluation of the mechanical strength reliability of a product at the design stage is presented. The first software, DEREL, is interactive with color graphic capabilities, allowing the user to change the values of the design variables at will and to observe their effect on the design reliability value. The user will thus be able to judge the sensitivity of the reliability value to any changes in the design variables. The second software, DERELOP, was conceived in an effort to rationalize the iterative process of selecting the design variables. This software combines the classical optimization iterative search algorithm to a modified version of the previous software to search for the optimal reliability design. Illustrations and flow charts of the main operations are given