• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.109-117
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• 2007

Uncertainty is pervasive in rock slope stability analysis due to various reasons and subsequently it may cause serious rock slope failures. Therefore, the importance of uncertainty has been recognized and subsequently the probability theory has been used to quantify the uncertainty since 1980's. However, some uncertainties, due to incomplete information, cannot be handled satisfactorily in the probability theory and the fuzzy set theory is more appropriate for those uncertainties. In this study the random variable is considered as fuzzy number and the fuzzy set theory is employed in rock slope stability analysis. However, the previous fuzzy analysis employed the approximate method, which is first order second moment method and point estimate method. Since previous studies used only the representative values from membership function to evaluate the stability of rock slope, the approximated analysis results have been obtained in previous studies. Therefore, the Monte Carlo simulation technique is utilized to evaluate the probability of failure for rock slope in the current study. This overcomes the shortcomings of previous studies, which are employed vertex method. With Monte Carlo simulation technique, more complete analysis results can be secured in the proposed method. The proposed method has been applied to the practical example. According to the analysis results, the probabilities of failure obtained from the fuzzy Monte Carlo simulation coincide with the probabilities of failure from the probabilistic analysis.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.4A
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• pp.647-657
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• 2006

Probabilistic Risk Assessment considering statistically random variables is performed for the preliminary design of a Cable Stayed Bridge, which is Prestressed Concrete Bridge consisted of cable and plate girders, based on the method of Working Stress Design and Strength Design. Component reliabilities of cables and girders have been evaluated using the response surface of the design variables at the selected critical sections based on the maximum shear, positive and negative moment locations. Response Surface Method (RSM) is successfully applied for reliability analyses for this relatively small probability of failure of the complex structure, which is hard to obtain through Monte-Carlo Simulations. or through First Order Second Moment Method that can not easily calculate the derivative terms of implicit limit state functions. For the analysis of system reliability, parallel resistance system consisting of cables and plate girder is changed into series connection system and the result of system reliability of total structure is presented. As a system reliability, the upper and lower probabilities of failure for the structural system have been evaluated and compared with the suggested prediction method for the combination of failure modes. The suggested prediction method for the combination of failure modes reveals the unexpected combinations of element failures in significantly reduced time and efforts compared with the previous permutation method or system reliability analysis method, which calculates upper and lower bound failure probabilities.