ABSTRACT
The concept of Value of Information (VoI) analysis in the context of Structural Integrity Management (SIM) has been gaining significant interest in the engineering research community over the last decade. A key issue in the modelling and analysis of VoI in SIM concerns the probabilistic representation of the information collected through SIM. This information is generally modelled through what is referred to as indicators, i.e. observable states of the structure of relevance in the context of structural integrity management. In the present paper, we formulate two types of modelling approaches to assess the importance of dependency and bias in inspection results. Moreover the effect of dependencies and biases associated with inspections over time is quantified in terms of the VoI they facilitate. The effects of dependencies and biases are illustrated through a simple case study considering a pressure vessel in an oil production facility subject to degradation.
