Practical limits on number of specimens that can be tested lead to uncertainty in the estimated Weibull parameters. This paper presents an evaluation of four techniques for estimating confidence intervals for size-scaled Weibull parameters of monolithic ceramics. The techniques include normal approximation method, likelihood ratio technique, nonparametric bootstrap, and parametric bootstrap methods. For uncensored fast-fracture data, the confidence intervals for Weibull parameters are compared to the method used in ASTM Standard C1239. A simulation fracture experiment is conducted to evaluate the statistical characteristics, in particular coverage probability, of the four methods. For fast-fracture data with multiple failure modes, the statistical assessment of the confidence interval techniques for size-scaled Weibull parameters complement the existing literature. Overall, it was observed that the likelihood ratio technique and parametric bootstrap method perform very well. These techniques can also be extended for confidence interval estimation using fast-fracture data obtained from various geometry’s of test specimens and/or loading conditions (pooled data).
Smoothed weighted empirical likelihood ratio confidence intervals for quantiles
