Seismic strength at failure of nuclear power plant components

Seismic risk analyses of nuclear power plants requires the probability of strength at failure for electrical and mechanical components. In order to establish these distributions, a questionaire was prepared to survey observations of nuclear component manufacturers, reactor designers, military experts, selected university professors, and consultant engineers. The questionaire was mailed to over two hundred and fifty individuals with recognized expertise in component design, analysis, or fabrication. Nearly one hundred and fifty questionaires were returned, From these questionaires it was possible to construct normal and lognormal probability distributions for thirty-seven categories of safety-related components. A table shows the category mean and variance for each distribution. Furthermore, a qualitative discussion is offered which presents the uncertainties associated with each category. Also, areas are identified requiring additional investigation