ABSTRACT
22 Chapter 2 describes several representative techniques that are employed in inspection, monitoring, and maintenance processes for fatigue cracks. The effects of inspection and monitoring on life-cycle performance and cost under uncertainty are discussed. The performance assessment and prediction using inspection and monitoring data are described. The statistical and probabilistic concepts for the formulation of the availability of monitoring data are provided. The loss function is presented to quantify the monetary loss caused by the use of unavailable monitoring data and the performance prediction model. Furthermore, Bayesian updating based on information available from the inspections and monitoring is described. In this manner, the accuracy and effectiveness of life-cycle management for civil and marine structures can be improved. Probabilistic importance indicators of individual components in a structural system are investigated for efficient inspection and monitoring. The application of concepts and approaches presented lead to an accurate probabilistic life-cycle performance and cost analysis by integrating inspection and monitoring data efficiently.
