Rainflow Cycles in Nonstationary Gaussian Processes

by Richard J. Nielsen, Univ of Idaho, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Probabilistic Methods in Civil Engineering

Abstract:

This paper develops a methodology for calculating the probability distribution for rainflow cycles in a nonstationary Gaussian process. The up- and downcrossing rates are estimated for the process. The level-crossing statistics are then used to determine the waiting time for range-pair exceedances. The waiting time distribution for the rainflow cycles is then derived from the range-pair distribution. Finally, the probability distribution for the rainflow cycles is calculated from the waiting time distribution. The rainflow cycle distribution is needed for predicting fatigue damage in structures subjected to nonstationary loads. The rainflow cycle distribution presented in this paper is best suited for low-cycle fatigue calculations.

Subject Headings: Gaussian process | Probability distribution | Rainfall | Fatigue (material) | Probability | Stationary processes | Dynamic loads

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