Application of VVUQ Concepts to ASME Codes and Standards for Pressure Vessels

VVUQ techniques were developed to address simulation credibility when a device or manufacturing process is analyzed through computational means. If the device or manufacturing process analyzed fails, the consequences could be potentially hazardous, if not catastrophic, to the health and welfare of the public. VVUQ procedures provide a needed framework to guide the engineer in the design of a device, system, or process along with the supporting calculations so that there is transparency in presenting the simulation results. While major research facilities, medical device developers, and cutting-edge technology companies have led the development of specific VVUQ techniques, these principles are appropriate for simulation-informed decision making regardless of the industry, but the degree of detail is driven by the risk and uncertainty. This paper will present how VVUQ applies to established industries, using the ASME pressure vessel standards as an example. In traditional “by rules” pressure vessel design, uncertainty has been reduced by decades of testing and development. Similarly, explicit use of VVUQ is not typically needed for numerical modeling such as Finite Element Modeling (FEM) in “design by analysis” when applied within the confines of ASME pressure vessel standards because the testing and development to develop those engineering standards reduced the uncertainty. By showing where VVUQ principles have been implicitly applied, the paper will then show why explicit VVUQ requirements and constraints are required for the standard under development, “Design By Analysis for Glassy Polymers,” which does not have the benefit of pre-qualified material data or simplifying assumptions such as thin wall pressure theory. Identifying the implicit VVUQ methods in current pressure vessel standards will help ensure that the simulation and experimentation used for glassy polymers will meet or exceed the reliability established by those standards. These VVUQ methods will also provide guidance for novel applications of pressure vessel technology and other structural applications outside the scope of established engineering codes.