A new, reliable, and simple-to-use method for the analysis of a population of values of a random variable using the Weibull probability distribution: Application to acrylic bone cement fatigue results
Abstract
In cases where the Weibull probability distribution is being investigated as a possible fit to experimentally obtained results of a random variable (V), there is, currently, no accurate and reliable but simple-to-use method available for simultaneously (a) establishing if the fit is of the two- or three-parameter variant of the distribution, and/or (b) estimating the minimum value of the variable (V0), in cases where the three-parameter variant is shown to be applicable. In the present work, the details of such a method - which uses a simple nonlinear regression analysis - are presented, together with results of its use when applied to 4 sets of number-of-cycles-to- fracture results from fatigue tests, performed in our laboratory, using specimens fabricated from 3 different acrylic bone cement formulations. The key result of the method is that the two- or three-parameter variant of the probability distribution is applicable if the estimate of V0 obtained is less than or greater than zero, respectively. © 2005 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.
Publication Title
Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering
Recommended Citation
Janna, S., Dwiggins, D., & Lewis, G. (2005). A new, reliable, and simple-to-use method for the analysis of a population of values of a random variable using the Weibull probability distribution: Application to acrylic bone cement fatigue results. Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, 15 (5), 349-355. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/facpubs/4038
