Validate Atwood Model Across CCF Group Sizes

Validate the Atwood shock-based common cause failure model for groups of components of varying sizes by demonstrating that its parameterization and staggered-failure generation accurately reflect observed behavior when used within dynamic probabilistic risk assessment models.

Background

The paper proposes a dynamic implementation of the Atwood shock model to generate staggered common cause failures in time and demonstrates consistency with Alpha-factor parameters via simulation. While the example involves four Emergency Diesel Generators, the authors note broader issues in modeling CCF in time that require formal validation across different group sizes.

This open problem focuses on confirming that the Atwood model remains valid and accurate for common cause failure groups beyond the specific case paper, ensuring reliability of its use in dynamic PRA across systems with varying redundancy levels.