This open access book provides an introduction to uncertainty quantification in engineering. Starting with preliminaries on Bayesian statistics and Monte Carlo methods, followed by material on imprecise probabilities, it then focuses on reliability theory and simulation methods for complex systems. The final two chapters discuss various aspects of aerospace engineering, considering stochastic model updating from an imprecise Bayesian perspective, and uncertainty quantification for aerospace flight modelling. Written by experts in the subject, and based on lectures given at the Second Training School of the European Research and Training Network UTOPIAE (Uncertainty Treatment and Optimization in Aerospace Engineering), which took place at Durham University (United Kingdom) from 2 to 6 July 2018, the book offers an essential resource for students as well as scientists and practitioners.

This open access book reports on innovative methods, technologies and strategies for mastering uncertainty in technical systems. Despite the fact that current research on uncertainty is mainly focusing on uncertainty quantification and analysis, this book gives emphasis to innovative ways to master uncertainty in engineering design, production and product usage alike. It gathers authoritative contributions by more than 30 scientists reporting on years of research in the areas of engineering, applied mathematics and law, thus offering a timely, comprehensive and multidisciplinary account of theories and methods for quantifying data, model and structural uncertainty, and of fundamental strategies for mastering uncertainty. It covers key concepts such as robustness, flexibility and resilience in detail. All the described methods, technologies and strategies have been validated with the help of three technical systems, i.e. the Modular Active Spring-Damper System, the Active Air Spring and the 3D Servo Press, which have been in turn developed and tested during more than ten years of cooperative research. Overall, this book offers a timely, practice-oriented reference guide to graduate students, researchers and professionals dealing with uncertainty in the broad field of mechanical engineering.

Build the skills for determining appropriate error limits for quantities that matter with this essential toolkit. Understand how to handle a complete project and how uncertainty enters into various steps. Provides a systematic, worksheet-based process to determine error limits on measured quantities, and all likely sources of uncertainty are explored, measured or estimated. Features instructions on how to carry out error analysis using Excel and MATLAB®, making previously tedious calculations easy. Whether you are new to the sciences or an experienced engineer, this useful resource provides a practical approach to performing error analysis. Suitable as a text for a junior or senior level laboratory course in aerospace, chemical and mechanical engineering, and for professionals.

This book provides an overview of state-of-the-art uncertainty quantification (UQ) methodologies and applications, and covers a wide range of current research, future challenges and applications in various domains, such as aerospace and mechanical applications, structure health and seismic hazard, electromagnetic energy (its impact on systems and humans) and global environmental state change. Written by leading international experts from different fields, the book demonstrates the unifying property of UQ theme that can be profitably adopted to solve problems of different domains. The collection in one place of different methodologies for different applications has the great value of stimulating the cross-fertilization and alleviate the language barrier among areas sharing a common background of mathematical modeling for problem solution. The book is designed for researchers, professionals and graduate students interested in quantitatively assessing the effects of uncertainties in their fields of application. The contents build upon the workshop “Uncertainty Modeling for Engineering Applications” (UMEMA 2017), held in Torino, Italy in November 2017.

Uncertainty has been of concern to engineers, managers and . scientists for many centuries. In management sciences there have existed definitions of uncertainty in a rather narrow sense since the beginning of this century. In engineering and uncertainty has for a long time been considered as in sciences, however, synonymous with random, stochastic, statistic, or probabilistic. Only since the early sixties views on uncertainty have ~ecome more heterogeneous and more tools to model uncertainty than statistics have been proposed by several scientists. The problem of modeling uncertainty adequately has become more important the more complex systems have become, the faster the scientific and engineering world develops, and the more important, but also more difficult, forecasting of future states of systems have become. The first question one should probably ask is whether uncertainty is a phenomenon, a feature of real world systems, a state of mind or a label for a situation in which a human being wants to make statements about phenomena, i. e. , reality, models, and theories, respectively. One cart also ask whether uncertainty is an objective fact or just a subjective impression which is closely related to individual persons. Whether uncertainty is an objective feature of physical real systems seems to be a philosophical question. This shall not be answered in this volume.

Helps engineers and scientists assess and manage uncertainty at all stages of experimentation and validation of simulations Fully updated from its previous edition, Experimentation, Validation, and Uncertainty Analysis for Engineers, Fourth Edition includes expanded coverage and new examples of applying the Monte Carlo Method (MCM) in performing uncertainty analyses. Presenting the current, internationally accepted methodology from ISO, ANSI, and ASME standards for propagating uncertainties using both the MCM and the Taylor Series Method (TSM), it provides a logical approach to experimentation and validation through the application of uncertainty analysis in the planning, design, construction, debugging, execution, data analysis, and reporting phases of experimental and validation programs. It also illustrates how to use a spreadsheet approach to apply the MCM and the TSM, based on the authors’ experience in applying uncertainty analysis in complex, large-scale testing of real engineering systems. Experimentation, Validation, and Uncertainty Analysis for Engineers, Fourth Edition includes examples throughout, contains end of chapter problems, and is accompanied by the authors’ website www.uncertainty-analysis.com. Guides readers through all aspects of experimentation, validation, and uncertainty analysis Emphasizes the use of the Monte Carlo Method in performing uncertainty analysis Includes complete new examples throughout Features workable problems at the end of chapters Experimentation, Validation, and Uncertainty Analysis for Engineers, Fourth Edition is an ideal text and guide for researchers, engineers, and graduate and senior undergraduate students in engineering and science disciplines. Knowledge of the material in this Fourth Edition is a must for those involved in executing or managing experimental programs or validating models and simulations.

Uncertainties are inevitable in any experimental measurement. Therefore, it is essential for science and engineering graduates to design and develop reliable experiments and estimate the uncertainty in the measurements. This book describes the methods and application of uncertainty analysis during the planning, data analysis, and reporting stages of an experiment. This book is aimed at postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students of various branches of science and engineering. The book teaches methods for estimating random and systematic uncertainties and combining them to determine the overall uncertainty in a measurement. In addition, the method for propagating measurement uncertainties in the calculated result is discussed. The book also discusses methods of reducing the uncertainties through proper instrumentation, data acquisition, and experiment planning. This book provides detailed background and assumptions underlying the uncertainty analysis techniques for the reader to understand their applicability. Various solved examples are provided to demonstrate the application of the uncertainty analysis techniques. The exercises at the end of the chapters have been chosen carefully to reinforce the concepts discussed in the text.