Is Weibull distribution the most appropriate statistical strength distribution for brittle materials?

Strength reliability, one of the critical factors restricting wider use of brittle materials in various structural applications, is commonly characterized by Weibull strength distribution function. In the present work, the detailed statistical analysis of the strength data is carried out using a larger class of probability models including Weibull, normal, log-normal, gamma and generalized exponential distributions. Our analysis is validated using the strength data, measured with a number of structural ceramic materials and a glass material. An important implication of the present study is that the gamma or log-normal distribution function, in contrast to Weibull distribution, may describe more appropriately, in certain cases, the experimentally measured strength data.