Abstract
In reliability analysis of machines and structural members, it is important to clarify the fatigue life distribution of these engineering items, and Weibull distribution is often accepted as the original distribution of the fatigue life. Although various kinds of estimation procedures have been developed on three parameters of Weibull distribution, the statistical properties of each estimated parameter still remain unsolved for any estimation method.
The authors performed the parameter estimation by means of several methods and discussed on the distribution characteristics of estimates of Weibull parameters. In this study, three different kinds of estimation were made on each parameter of Weibull distribution, and, the estimates obtained from the respective methods, including those given in the previous paper, were compared with each other in particular attention to statistical properties such as convergency or distribution of estimates. Finally, the most preferable method for parameter estimation of Weibull distribution was selected and quantitative discussions were also performed on the sample size required to determine, experimentally, the parameter of the original distribution.
