Checked by WIBU-BOX Dongle Emulator
The BMT Fleet Technology Limited flaw assessment tool, FlawCheck, was developed to support design analysis and integrity programs for metallic structures. The tool utilizes loading data for fatigue analysis and/or the determination of the potential for failure due to the presence of flaws in steels. The software package is designed to:
- use accepted industry analytic techniques;
- facilitate the assessment process;
- provide easily interpreted intermediate and final results;
- document the analysis assumptions and procedures
The software package is comprised of 3 analysis modules (loading data characterization, fatigue analysis and failure assessment) and a reporting module. The load characterization module is able to transform raw time-loading data into a loading spectrum. The spectrum is representative of actual service loading data and can be used to estimate the fatigue life to a specified limiting criterion. The failure assessment module can be used to determine the safety factor for a particular flaw size (or range of flaws) and the governing failure mode, whether it be fracture or plastic collapse. The final reporting module is used to assemble the selected analysis results into a comprehensive summary document easily appended to an existing report or used as a stand-alone reporting tool.
The integrity assessment software allows the user to:
- characterize operating load histories;
- calculate the fatigue rates or history;
- determine the critical flaw sizes and safety margins;
- document the analysis results
The software package also includes a probabilistic analysis module allowing the user to include the inherent uncertainty associated with the various input parameters used in carrying out a fatigue and fracture assessment. The output from a probabilistic analysis ranges from the probability of failure with time to the flaw size distribution after a user defined time.
