Page 88 - Using ANSYS for Finite Element Analysis Dynamic, Probabilistic, Design and Heat Transfer Analysis

probabilistic Design analysis • 75
8. Choose the probabilistic design tool or method (PDS).
9. Execute the loops required for the probabilistic design analysis
(PDS).
10. Fit the response surfaces (if you did not use a Monte Carlo Sim-
ulation method) (PDS).
11. Review the results of the probabilistic analysis (PDS).

Since analyzing complex problems can be time-consuming, ANSYS
offers you the option of running a probabilistic analysis on a single proces-
sor or distributing the analyses across multiple processors. By using the
ANSYS PDS parallel run capabilities, you can run many analysis loops
simultaneously and reduce the overall run time for a probabilistic analysis.
The following Figure 3.1 shows the flow of information during a
probabilistic design analysis.

Figure 3.1. The flow of information during a probabilistic design analysis.

3.2 ProBaBiLity distriButions

Probability distributions are a fundamental concept in statistics. They are
used both on a theoretical level and a practical level. Some practical uses
of probability distributions are:

• To calculate confidence intervals for parameters and to calculate
critical regions for hypothesis tests.