Probabilistic approaches for optimal beam design based on fracture mechanics

The questions raised in this paper are related to an important class of problems concerning the shape optimization of brittle or quasi-brittle elastic bodies with cracks. The optimization problems taken into consideration consist in finding the boundary of a body in such a way that the cost functional (volume of the body) reaches a minimum, while satisfying prescribed bounds on stress intensity factors. These problems are characterized by incomplete information concerning crack size, location and orientation. In this context the paper presents some possible formulations of optimal structural design problems based on probabilistic approaches. Using these approaches optimal designs for beams with surface and internal cracks have been found.