A consideration of Bayesian analysis of proof test

The meaning of full scale tests as a reliability demonstration is considered by a Bayesian approach. The assumptions are that the strength of the structure of interest follows a three-parameter Weibull distribution; its scale parameter is unknown; the test load is limited to a certain level because of either the capacity of the testing facility or the testing scheme; and a Bayesian analysis is applied to the test results. The effect of the number of tests and the load level on the reliability measure is shown. The required number of supplementary tests after the failure of the first test is also considered.<>