Remanent life

Ideally the report would cover remanent life prediction, that is the intermittent inspection of a component and the re-assessment of its probable lifetime based on past service history and its physical or chemical condition the materials analogy of a pensions actuary making his estimate of the likely dates of death of his human charges. Probabilistic remanent life prediction... 

Recently, a method for predicting the remanent life of a reinforcing geotextile was proposed [1] in which the strain to failure of a sacrificial sample was divided by the current creep rate. This requires verification. However, very few methods have so far been proposed or used for monitoring plastics in service and at the same time providing a numerical prediction of their remaining life. The reason for this is not just that the methods are likely to be expensive and complicated, but that there are few applications of plastics which can compete in risk and replacement cost with a high temperature boiler or aircraft structure. 

Ultrasonics Is one of the main methods hy which plant Is Inspected for material defects In the CEGB. From the economic point of view there Is a strong case for accurate ultrasonic defect sizing, since by using accurate defect sizes and recent advances In fracture mechanics It Is often possible to endorse the safety of existing plant, thereby reducing plant replacement or refurbishment costs and extending Its predicted remanent life. 

Williamson, J., Bissell, A.M. and Cane, B.J., Non-destructive condition assessment and remanent life prediction of reactor vessels in petrochemical plant , Int Conf Life Extension and Assessment, The Hague, 1988... 

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