Mathematical Models for Structural Reliability Analysis (Crc Mathematical Modelling Series)

Book Description

Mathematical Models for Structural Reliability Analysis offers mathematical models for describing load and material properties in solving structural engineering problems. Examples are provided, demonstrating how the models are implemented, and the limitations of the models are clearly stated. Analytical solutions are also discussed, and methods are clearly distinguished from models. The authors explain both theoretical models and practical applications in a clear, concise, and readable fashion.

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Review by the Scientific Community

Reliability Analysis and Prediction
Krishna B. Misra
Manufacturer: Elsevier Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Review by the Scientific Community.......2000-06-20

" Apart from some early work on the reliability of telephone systems, emphasis is placed on reliability during 1940/45 war, where failure could be disastrous for the last thirty years there have been numerous books published on " Reliability"( some 130 are listed in K.B.Misra's book ). The vast majority have been largely mathematical and usually specific to one section or aspect of reliability. For many years there has been the need for a comprehensive volume which would collate and summarize all the knowledge which has been accumulated by experience in reliability movement over this period.

Such a book is now available in K.B.Misra's " Reliability Analysis and Prediction : A Methodology Oriented Treatment ". This book now provides the student, researcher or practical engineer, with all the knowledge he requires for his particular application. As a reviewer who pioneered reliability work in electronics for the Armed Forces in the 1940s; has lectured extensively worldwide and has written numerous books, including three books on reliability, the reviewer has studied this book extensively and in his opinion it contains the most complete coverage of any book on reliability yet written. This is illustrated by the chapter headings, as follows: -Reliability Engineering: An Overview; Reliability Mathematics; Reliability Data Analysis and Management; Reliability Prediction from Stress Strength Models; System Reliability Modelling; Reliability Evaluation Techniques; Maintainability Analysis and finally, System Analysis through Fault Tree.

It may be argued that the book is too `voluminous', but there are few books published which are regarded as "landmarks" or "milestones" in any technique or subject. Colloquially, they are known as `the Bible' or fount of knowledge. Such a book for many years was F.E.Terman's " Radio Engineering". We now have a new `Bible'- K.B.Misra's "Reliability Analysis and Prediction: A Methodology Oriented Treatment". The author is modest in claiming that this book, which is the outcome of his more than 25 years of teaching and researching in the area, is going to fill the gap which has been widely felt by practicing engineers, but there is no doubt that this will be so. The appendices on `Some Useful Definitions' and on ` Description Computer Codes' are particularly valuable.

In summary, reliability analysis, prediction, reliability mathematics, algorithm organization and analysis of data, reliability modelling and system reliability evaluation, system modelling and maintainability analysis, plus four appendices of mathematical tables, all add up to the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on the "state-of-the-art" in reliability. Its should be on every engineer's book shelf. "

- G.W.A.Dummer, Editor-in Chief, Microelectronics and Reliability,Pergamon Press, U.K., 1992

" This is a beautiful textbook devoted to reliability fundamentals. This book is intended to researchers, students and especially engineers that do not have a previous background of basic reliability knowledge. The effort is made towards presentation of methodologies for reliability analysis and prediction. For example, after laying the basis of reliability mathematics, the author uses the concept to present models for reliability prediction by means of stress -strength approach, then passes from units to systems and reviews the general Markov model among other models.

A complete chapter is devoted to one of the most recently and frequently used method for reliability analysis and prediction: fault tree analysis. Construction, simplification, evaluation of fault trees are the basic steps. The analysis of the results of evaluations, using measures of importance and sensitivity, plays a major role. Example of 45 computer programmes with description of the target computer type, performances and constraints end the book.

The references are very good, oriented mainly to the Anglo-Saxon literature. Each chapter contains references arranged chronologically. At the end of the book there is main list of references. Each chapter has several examples, most of them with numerical calculations. This improves readablity and deepens the understanding of methods. There is good index list oriented to the main topics covered in the book. A final comment contains a less usual but very nice comparison between reliability phenomena and Indian philosophy.

Book Description

The 6th meeting sponsored by IFIP Working Group 7.5, on reliability and optimization of structural systems, took place in September 1994 in Assisi, Italy. This book contains the papers presented at the working conference including topics such as reliability of special structures, fatigue, failure modes and time-variant systems relibility.

METSAT, advanced microwave sounding unit-A2 (AMSU-A2) structural mathematical model (SuDoc NAS 1.26:199757)

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METSAT, advanced microwave sounding unit-A2 (AMSU-A2) structural mathematical model (SuDoc NAS 1.26:199757)
Wayne Ely
Manufacturer: GenCorp Aerojet National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Technical Information Service, distributor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00010QSX2

Reliability in Computational Mechanics: Proceedings of the Workshop on Reliability in Computational Mechanics Lakeway, Austin, Texas, U.S.A. 26-28 O

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Reliability in Computational Mechanics: Proceedings of the Workshop on Reliability in Computational Mechanics Lakeway, Austin, Texas, U.S.A. 26-28 O

Manufacturer: North-Holland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Chaos & Systems | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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Report
Ashish Karamchandani
Manufacturer: Dept. of Civil Engineering, Stanford University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000715PY8

Response surface method for time-variant reliability analysis (Civil engineering studies)

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Response surface method for time-variant reliability analysis (Civil engineering studies)
Timothy H Yao
Manufacturer: Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006P13MI

Stochastic reliability methodology for complex structures with uncertainties

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the Blue Parka Man: Alaskan Gold Rush Bandit

Stochastic reliability methodology for complex structures with uncertainties
Henry T. Y Yang
Manufacturer: School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Customer Reviews:

the Blue Parka Man: Alaskan Gold Rush Bandit.......2000-06-06

This was one of the first Alaskan books I read when I came to the interior of Alaska in 1982. The author kept me spell bound with the history and personalities of the Gold Rush in the circle mining district. Besides the lore of gold this book is about a true life dog sled chase over mountain summits in the dead of winter for a character which could be described as a gentleman, a gold rush Robin Hood. I wanted so much to share this adventure with others but my copy was stolen and the book has been out of print. This is a cat and mouse story with lots of action and could be made into a wonderful movie. I so much wish to read it again and pass it along to all who venture to Alaska and the interior.

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Great book--but not my favorite!

Good love story in a great setting

Tender Love Story

Boring

Intriguing

On Green Dolphin Street: A Novel
Sebastian Faulks
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Girl at the Lion d'Or

Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War

The Fatal Englishman: Three Short Lives

Charlotte Gray

Human Traces: A Novel

ASIN: 0375704566
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Book Description

The bestselling author of Birdsong and Charlotte Gray delivers an enthralling, vibrantly evocative novel set in America in 1960, when the country stood poised between the paranoia of the Cold War and the ebullience of the New Frontier.

Faulks' heroine is Mary Van der Linden, a pretty, reserved Englishwoman whose husband, Charlie, is posted to the British embassy in Washington. One night at a cocktail party Mary meets Frank Renzo, a reporter who has covered stories from the fall of Dienbienphu to the Emmett Till murder trial in Mississippi. Slowly, reluctantly, they fall in love. Their ensuing affair, in all its desperate elation, plays out against a backdrop that ranges from the jazz clubs of Greenwich Village to the smoke-filled rooms of the Kennedy campaign. A romance in the grand tradition that is also a neon-lit portrait of America at its apogee, On Green Dolphin Street is Sebastian Faulks at the peak of his powers.

Customer Reviews:

Great book--but not my favorite!.......2005-01-20

On Green Dolphin Street

Never thought the 60's could be interesting, but Sebastian Faulks manages to write about this politically turbulent time in a very intriguing manner. This novel is both a post-war/cold-war psychological study and a full throttle story of love's infidelity. It is always enjoying to read Faulks' British perspective, in On Green Dolphin Street it is particularly interesting to see America through these British eyes; particularly the Kennedy era. Mary is a well-developed character who provides a portal to a wealth of human emotion ranging from her strong attachment to her children, her moral struggles as the wife of an alcoholic and her wrenching grief when faced with death/dying.
This novel is quieter than all of Sebastian Faulks' other novels, but its message is just as deep and meaningful while delivering a history steeped in fact.

Good love story in a great setting.......2003-10-23

On Green Dolphin Street tells the story of a long triangle between Mary van del Linden, her husband Charlie, and Frank Renzo, a New York journalist. As important as the characters is the historical setting, which is America during the Nixon-Kennedy campaign. Faulks creates three vivid characters, each with their own motivations and weaknesses, and paints a love story that is passionate and filled with longing, but also with resignation.

What I liked about the book is the sense of urgency it creates and the mood it is set in. Among the main characters, Charlie is the one I felt more interesting. I also enjoyed the sections set in England when Mary's mother dies, how her feeling are wonderfully explored. Faulk's prose is literate although sometimes he gets too wordly when he describes the characters' thoughts, rendering them unreal. Also, I wasn't very interested in the politics.

All in all, a good read. Faulks proves his versatility with this novel. Don't expect another Birdsong though!

Tender Love Story.......2003-09-07

This story is centered during the Cold War in the 1960's, and tells the story of Mary van der Linden and the two men she loves. One is her husband who is posted to the British embassy in Washington, DC and may be at the top of his game. The other love is journalist, Frank Renzo. They meet at a cocktail party and for some unexplicable reason they fall in love. Mary has two children who attend private school and during the school year she is at loose ends. An affair ensues and she and Frank meet in New York and other cities where Frank is following the young Jack Kennedey in his presidential bid. Mary has a full life in Washington but a husband who is not present. He is fully involved in the Russian story of the Cold War, and it is this post that will make or break his career. He does not notice Mary's absences except for the break in his routine.
Mary is called suddenly to England to help care for her dying mother , and then to help her father re-set his life. During this time Charlie is called to Moscow, and Mary plans to join him when her father has his life in place.
Mary has a conundrum should she leave her husband- she is his life- what would he do without her - what would her children do? But she in so much in love with Frank, and he her. He appreciates her and helps nmake her life come alive. Much of the book centers on Mary's decisions and how she makes them. Mary is afterall a realist, a romantic at heart but a realist in mind.
One of Sebastain Faulks better books-

Boring.......2003-06-23

It is hard for me to believe this book was written by the same author of Charlotte Gray and Birdsong! I am struggling to finish this book knowing full well that it is not going to improve one iota.

I find the characters weak and uninteresting. The affair between the faithful wife and this WWII veteran from Chicago turned journalist is hard to imagine.

This book is genuinely boring. How many bars, restaurants, geographic locations and prominent landmarks do we need to read about. Who cares! So the author is well travelled. This is an unimportant book.

There is not much else to say other than I truly believe this was written by someone other than Faulks or that he has lost what I found superb in Birdsong.

Intriguing.......2003-02-26

Very moody, atmospheric, with an underlying sense of foreboding. It makes me want to learn more about the early days of the Cold War. There's a scene of reporters covering the big election night that made me understand how difficult "up to the minute" reporting must have been back in 1960. The election was still neck and neck but they had to go to press and were forced to make educated decisions about where things were headed. They literally were not sure if their morning headline was going to ultimately be correct!

(By the way -- if you haven't read the book yet, beware of that extremely lengthy review from NYC because it's full of spoilers that would really mar your appreciation of the book.)

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Pretty but not all that pleasing

Don't believe the critics

A thoughtful, heart wrenching novel

DRINKING AND SMOKING AND FALLING IN LOVE

does not live up to hype

On Green Dolphin Street: A Novel
Sebastian Faulks
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0375502254
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Book Description

Focusing on a richly significant time in our recent past, Sebastian Faulks, the bestselling author of Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, has written his first novel set in America. The year is 1960—a fascinating moment of transition in our country, when the comfortable Eisenhower years were drawing to a close and the ruthlessly competitive Nixon/Kennedy presidential campaign signaled the beginning of a starkly different decade.

Mary van der Linden has recently moved from London to Washington, D.C., with her two children and her loving, admired husband, Charlie, who is posted to the British Embassy. Nearly forty, Mary has spent a lifetime as a loyal daughter, wife and mother. But in this year of so much change, she feels compelled to break away from her familiar world and is drawn to the freedom of New York City, which is effervescent with parties, jazz, three- martini lunches, girls in their summer dresses and men in their Sinatra hats and big ties. Greenwich Village is still charmingly bohemian, and Miles Davis’s hit tune “On Green Dolphin Street” is playing everywhere. Mary finds a hotel room in New York and then finds a lover, while back in Washington her husband drinks to forget the demands of his job, the absence of his wife and the Cold War paranoia that has overtaken the capital.

Faulks breaks new ground with this novel: It is a love story, not a war story, and it is set in America rather than France. Yet readers of his two previous bestselling novels will recognize the close focus of the historical setting, the unforgettable characters and the gathering emotional power of the narrative. On Green Dolphin Street is a dramatic, tremendously moving novel that is certain to extend the American audience for this prodigiously talented author’s work.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty but not all that pleasing.......2005-05-25

Although I was not even alive in 1960, this book does much to evoke the flavor of that year in my imagination. This was my parents' generation and every page of this book was redolent of their habits and mannerisms. I found myself engrossed in the setting, avidly lapping up the sensitive details of music, dress, politics and culture.
That aside, the novel did not entirely work for me. Despite the sheer beauty of the final chapters, this is not Faulks' best work. While he tried to five the reader insight into the lives of the three main characters, their emotional portraiture was a little thin. This is especially true for the first three-fourths of the book which features some rather puzzling and possibly unnecessary flashback scenes. In all honesty, I found it difficult to sympathize with Frank and Mary until the final chapters of the novel.
Yet, that all changes by the end. The final chapters are thoughtful, luminous, and extremely moving. I will not give away the ending, but I will simply say that I found myself in tears and running to hug my boyfriend. It is not an ending that one can easily forget.

Don't believe the critics.......2003-02-03

Even though I've read and enjoyed all of Faulk's other books I took a pass on "On Green Dolphin Street" when it first came out because of the mediocre reviews. Fortunately I happened to pick it up in the library and was so enchanted by the first two pages that I dropped everything else I was reading to finish it. Of all Faulks books I think it is best, if only for the fact it doesn't have all those distracting sub-plots like the grand-daughter in Birdsong and Charlotte's relationship with her father in Charlotte Gray. Mary van der Linden finds herself at age 40 with an alcoholic husband, two children who must be packed off to boarding school, a terminally ill mother and the attentions of an interesting newspaper reporter. How does she take care of everyone else and still be able to save herself? Faulk's writing is beautiful picking out wonderful details of life in the balance between the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Frank and Mary make love with their words as much with their bodies. The scenes in which Mary and Frank try to keep their hands off one another are so filled with sexual tension you don't know whether to laugh or cry for them. Other scenes throughout the book are brilliant facets of a perfect gem. To be sure Faulks hasn't let go completely of his war stories. Both Frank and Mary's husband Charlie are scarred by their wartime experiences and still find themselves to soldiers of a sort in the Cold War. But it's Mary's battle to decide between the two men she loves that kept me turning the pages right up until the end.

A thoughtful, heart wrenching novel.......2002-12-17

Looking at a highly significant part of American history, Sebastian Faulks, the best-selling author of Charlotte Grey and Birdsong, chose to set his new novel in America. Unlike his previous novels, which focus on British history, On Green Dolphin Street focuses primarily on American politics and life in the 60's.

It is 1960, the end of the comfortable Eisenhower years and the beginning of the ruthlessly competitive Nixon/Kennedy presidential campaign. Mary van der Linden has recently moved from London to Washington D.C with her two children and her husband Charlie, who is posted to the British embassy. In her forties, Mary is a loving mother, wife and friend who has loyally devoted her entire life to other people. But when Frank Renzo suddenly appears- a handsome down to earth journalist- she seems to forget this and is drawn into the Bohemian world of Greenwich Village. Mary is drawn to the rawness of New York City; after all it is the swinging sixties and what is better than jazz clubs, Miles Davis records and gritty bookstores? Mary finds excuses to be with her lover in New York while back in Washington her alcoholic husband drinks to forget his paranoia with the interfering Russians, his absent wife and his state of depression.

Faulks breaks new grounds with this novel. Unlike his previous works, this is not a war story and is not set in Europe. Faulks has an easy, approachable writing style and explores the themes of the 60's beautifully. Although not as enthralling as Birdsong or Charlotte Grey, this is great novel and will easily entertain all readers. Just be warned: the political jargon is rather heavy so if you're looking for a love story this is probably not it.

DRINKING AND SMOKING AND FALLING IN LOVE.......2002-11-18

This is the first book by Sebastian Faulks I've read but from what I'm told his others are better. I am relieved to hear that because I wasn't enchanted by this uneven tale. The story is moving but the style occasionally limps along.

In summary, Charlie is a British diplomat living in the USA with his wife Mary and their two children. They enjoy a rather high life in Washington characterized by parties and an envious lifestyle. Charlie is an alcoholic plagued by internal demons. It seems we are meant to believe that Charlie's drinking is justified because of his intelligent perceptions but most readers will see that he suffers from "terminal uniqueness" and uses his intelligence as a means of talking himself out of staying sober. Mary meets Frank, a bohemian reporter, and engages in a love affair. The affair runs its course. Mary's family needs her and so it ends.

One of the biggest obstacles to finding this an original reading experience is the exploitation of common 60s, Eisenhower and Kennedy mythology. Both amusingly and dully, these characters do little else but drink and smoke. I doubt there is one exchange between the principal characters which isn't fueled by alcohol, or during the aftermath of a rampant drunken spree. Between the lines, it's the story of how alcohol can affect the life of anyone within the radius of an alcoholic.

Nevertheless, certain passages and descriptions are deeply moving and original. Mary's emotional dilemma is tangible and upsetting and the final separation between the two lovers is excruciating. The family ties between Mary and her parents and children are beautifully drawn. It's certainly worth reading if you're trapped inside with nothing to do on a rainy Sunday evening.

does not live up to hype.......2002-11-17

I must admit I am only halfway through this book, but it is such a chore after the moving experience of Birdsong. The characters remind me of the paper dolls I played with as a child. They belonged to an older cousin, and all came with 1955 era paper clothes. I know exactly what the characters in this novel are wearing: Mary's dresses and sweaters, Franks hats and shoes. But as with the paper dolls, if I am to get through this book, I am going to have to flesh them out myself, as Faulks does not seem to be able to do it for me. This is an overresearched, underwritten book, and yes, Sebastian, you've learned just what New York was like in 1959. Now give us a plot and some characters to go with it. That said, the character of Charlie has some heart, but even in Birdsong, Faulks's female characters were two-dimensional. I haven't given up on it, though. I pray for a twist ending.

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Green Dolphin Street (A Novel)

Manufacturer: Coward-McCann, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000CQQOVQ

Product Description

EXCERPT: It was a desire for warmth more than anything else that made him pause outside the half open doorway od Hobson's Saloon. There was a fire inside. He could hear the crackle of the flames, and a bar of light lay across his path as though to stop from going farther. Then he heard a great roar of laughter for inside, and smelled a most appetizing smell. His empty heart, longing for comfortable companionship, and his empty stomach, completely unsatisfied by Susanna's dainty supper, then rose up and took charge. He pushed the wide and went in.

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Great Book!
Green Dolphin Raves
Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge
Great story
5 stars for the emotions it stirs

Green Dolphin Street: A novel
Elizabeth Goudge
Manufacturer: Coward-McCann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0007HSOL8

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2007-04-02

This is the first book I have read written by Elizabeth Goudge - what a great writer! Her writing gives great visualization and brings everything to life. The character development keeps you interested from beginning to end. I will definitely buy more of her books.

Green Dolphin Raves.......2007-02-03

I read this story once as a young girl, and upon rereading it today, nearly 30 years later, I found it to be just as soul satisfying. Creme brulee in book form.

Melora

Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge.......2005-09-24

I love this book by Elizabeth Goudge! The story of Marianne and Marguerite is touching and bittersweet. The truth glistens through the thrilling adventure!

Great story.......2005-06-10

I too read this book in my teens and loved it. Recently picked up a copy of The Dean.s Watch at a yard sale, which reminded me how much I liked her novels... got this and was enchanted all over again. Old fashioned..yes. Wordy...yes. Racially preduciced...yes. But, remember the context; just after WW II. We don't expect political correctness in Dickens or Wilkie Collins ...just consider the era it was written in and enjoy a well-written love story,

5 stars for the emotions it stirs.......2004-08-10

When I first read this book, as a teenager, I just loved it. I reread it many times over the years, and my husband and I read it outloud while camping when we were young. Sooo romantic! So, it was with much sadness that, after a break of about 15 years, I tried again and found that it now seemed sadly out of date and old fashioned. Oh well. Still, there may be some souls out there who find this wonderful story, full of sweep, journeying from the channel islands to New Zealand, from youth to old age, from cluelessness to profound enlightenment, quite nice. One of the nicest things about this book was that it led me to find the little book Marguerite is given by the nuns, and that book changed my life, too. Happy reading!!

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On Green Dolphin Street: A Novel
Sebastian Faulks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Green Dolphin Street : A Novel (THE SIGNIFICANT ENGLISH NOVELS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - THE LOUIS XVI BINDING)

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Green Dolphin Street : A Novel (THE SIGNIFICANT ENGLISH NOVELS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - THE LOUIS XVI BINDING)

Manufacturer: International Collectors Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000COH6YW

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