Probability Distribution of Peaks for Nonlinear Combination of Vector Gaussian Loads

The problem of approximating the probability distribution of peaks, associated with a special class of non-Gaussian random processes, is considered. The non-Gaussian processes are obtained as nonlinear combinations of a vector of mutually correlated, stationary, Gaussian random processes. The Von Mises stress in a linear vibrating structure under stationary Gaussian loadings is a typical example for such processes. The crux of the formulation lies in developing analytical approximations for the joint probability density function of the non-Gaussian process and its instantaneous first and second time derivatives. Depending on the nature of the problem, this requires the evaluation of a multidimensional integration across a possibly irregular and disjointed domain. A numerical algorithm, based on first order reliability method, is developed to evaluate these integrals. The approximations for the peak distributions have applications in predicting the expected fatigue damage due to combination of stress resultants in a randomly vibrating structure. The proposed method is illustrated through two numerical examples and its accuracy is examined with respect to estimates from full scale Monte Carlo simulations of the non-Gaussian process.