Failure Mode Correlation in Weakest-Link Systems

An approximate method for the analysis of Weakest-Link systems is presented. Using the Normal and Extremal Distributions, a study of the effect of failure mode correlation on systems of two modes was carried out. It was observed that correlation between failure modes contributes significantly to the risk prediction only for high correlation values. By examination of the sensitivity of larger systems to correlation, a hand method of system risk analysis was developed. Example applications to truss and frame structures are presented.