An Integrated Approach for the Structural Reliability Evaluation of Fast Breeder Reactor Components

For the improvement of structural design of fast breeder reactors, a new method for the optimization of structural reliability is proposed. This method approximates failure probability of a component by a linear formulation of various design variables. The formulation is obtained by a theoretical calculation extended by numerical considerations based on Monte Carlo simulation. This method allows a designer to optimize reliability without trial-and-error type calculations.