2024

Ahola Antti; Kozlova Mariia; Yeomans Julian Scott

The reliability of steel structures is a complex nonlinear phenomenon that depends on multiple external and technological factors. Accumulated fatigue can lead to a sudden collapse of construction, resulting in lost reputations, sunk investments, and even loss of lives. Thus, accurate models that capture fatigue damage accumulation are of paramount importance, as are the adequate methods that explain and communicate the complex input–output relationships of the model.In this study, we apply Simulation Decomposition (SimDec) to a fatigue assessment model developed for welded joints. SimDec exposed and communicated a three-dimensional heterogeneous effect in the model. The three input variables interact pairwise and affect the output in a nonlinear fashion conditioned to each other. Identifying such effects is critical when designing reliable steel structures.