A comprehensive software framework has been developed for probabilistic fatigue crack growth (FCG) analysis of safety-critical metallic components. The framework has been implemented in a computer code called DARWIN® (Design Assessment of Reliability With INspection). DARWIN determines the probability of fracture for a component as a function of operating cycles, with and without inspection, by integrating finite element (FE) geometries, stress, and temperature analysis results; fracture mechanics models; material anomaly data; probability of anomaly detection; and uncertain inspection schedules with a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). The framework can accommodate anomalies occurring anywhere in the volume of the component (such as material voids or inclusions) or anomalies occurring only on the surface of the component (such as manufacturing or maintenance damage).
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PROLOCA 7.1 is a probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) cods developed for the analysis of damage initiation and growth up to the point of structural failure. The PROLOCA (PRObability of Loss Of Coolant Accident) code was formulated to address nuclear piping and was based on past probabilistic analyses of fatigue in aircraft. These methods were integrated into a code, PROLOCA 2.0 originally developed under NRC contract [1], which was developed for nuclear piping analyses. Since that time, PROLOCA was continually improved under contract to an international team of regulators and operators. In this paper we examine some of the key differences between PROLOCA and other frameworks for fatigue analyses. Examples of the application of PROLOCA to dissimilar metal welds and aircraft damage tolerance are given to demonstrate the extremely low risk of failure with and without inspections and leak detection
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