Engineering Applications of Extreme Value Theory

This paper illustrates the applications of Extreme Value Theory to a group of engineering reliability problems. The importance of the largest load, the weakest link the largest flaw and the shortest life are shown. The exact and asymptotic forms of the extreme value distributions are developed, using the relations of Gumbel. Examples from the literature are given. The results are combined with the functional theory of reliability to show the technique of life prediction needed for reliable design.