• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.799-808
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• 2017

Failure of a redundant long-span bridge is often described by innumerable failure modes, which make the structural system reliability analysis become a computationally intractable work. In this paper, an innovative procedure is proposed to efficiently identify the dominant failure modes and quantify the structural reliability for a long-span bridge system. The procedure is programmed by ANSYS and MATLAB. Considering the correlation between failure paths, a new branch and bound operation criteria is applied to the traditional stage critical strength branch and bound algorithm. Computational effort can be saved by ignoring the redundant failure paths as early as possible. The reliability of dominant failure mode is computed by FORM, since the limit state function of failure mode can be expressed by the final stage critical strength. PNET method and FORM for system are suggested to be the suitable calculation method for the bridge system reliability. By applying the procedure to a CFST arch bridge, the proposed method is demonstrated suitable to the system reliability analysis for long-span bridge structure.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.103-110
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• 2003

A hybrid structural reliability analysis method that integrates a commercial finite element program and a reliability analysis algorithm is proposed to estimate the safety of real structures in this paper. Since finite element method (FEM) is most commonly and widely used in the analysis and design practice of real structures, it appears to be necessary to use general FEM program in the structural reliability analysis. In this case, simple conventional reliability methods cannot be used because the limit state function can only be expressed in an algorithmic form. The response surface method(RSM)-based reliability algorithm with the first-order reliability method (FORM) found to be ideal in this respect and is used in this paper. The intention of use of RSM is to develop, albeit approximately, an explicit expression of the limit state function for real structures. The applicability of the proposed method to real structures is examined with help of the example in consideration of a concrete dam. Both the strength and serviceability limit states are considered in this example.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.303-318
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• 1999

Cracking of reinforced concrete flexural members is a highly random phenomenon. In this paper reliability models are presented to determine the probabilities of failure of flexural members against the limit states of first crack and maximum crackwidth. The models proposed take into account the mechanism of cracking. Based on the reliability models discussed, Eqs. (8) and (9) useful in the reliability-based design of flexural members are presented.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.419-435
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• 2004

The safety level of a structural system designed per code specifications can not be inferred directly from the reliability of members due to the load redistribution and nonlinear inelastic structural behavior. Comparison of the system and member reliability, which is scarce in the literature, is likely to indicate any possible inconsistency of design codes in providing safe and economical designs. Such a comparative study is presented in this study for moment resisting two-dimensional steel frames designed per AISC LRFD Specifications. The member reliability is evaluated using the resistance of the beam-column element and the elastic load effects that indirectly accounts for the second-order effects. The system reliability analysis is evaluated based on the collapse load factor obtained from a second-order inelastic analysis. Comparison of the system and member reliability is presented for several steel frames. Results suggest that the failure probability of the system is about one order of magnitude lower than that of the most critically loaded structural member, and that the difference between the system and member reliability depends on the structural configuration, degree of redundancy, and dead to live load ratio. Results also suggest that the system reliability is less sensitive to initial imperfections of the structure than the member reliability. Therefore, the system aspect should be incorporated in future design codes in order to achieve more reliability consistent designs.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.357-369
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• 2014

In the existing bridge management systems, assessment of the structural behavior is based on the results of visual inspections in which corresponding condition states are assigned to individual elements. In this process, limited attention is given to the correlation between bridge elements from structural perspective. Also, the uncertainty of parameters which affect the structural capacity is ignored. A system reliability-based assessment model is potentially an appropriate replacement for the existing procedures. The aim of this research is to evaluate the system reliability of existing conventional Steel-Reinforced bridge decks over time. The developed method utilizes the reliability theory and evaluates the structural safety for such bridges based on their failure mechanisms. System reliability analysis has been applied to simply-supported concrete bridge superstructures designed according to the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC-S6) and the deterioration pattern is achieved based on the reliability estimates. Finally, the bridge condition index of an old existing bridge in Montreal has been estimated using the developed deterioration pattern. The results obtained from the developed reliability-based deterioration model and from the evaluation done by bridge engineers have been found to be in accordance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.549-567
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• 2015

A first-order moment method (FORM) reliability analysis is commonly used for structural stability analysis. It requires the values and partial derivatives of the performance to function with respect to the random variables for the design. These calculations can be cumbersome when the performance functions are implicit. A Gaussian process (GP)-based response surface is adopted in this study to approximate the limit state function. By using a trained GP model, a large number of values and partial derivatives of the performance functions can be obtained for conventional reliability analysis with a FORM, thereby reducing the number of stability analysis calculations. This dynamic renewed knowledge source can provide great assistance in improving the predictive capacity of GP during the iterative process, particularly from the view of machine learning. An iterative algorithm is therefore proposed to improve the precision of GP approximation around the design point by constantly adding new design points to the initial training set. Examples are provided to illustrate the GP-based response surface for both structural and non-structural reliability analyses. The results show that the proposed approach is applicable to structural reliability analyses that involve implicit performance functions and structural response evaluations that entail time-consuming finite element analyses.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.139-144
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• 1999

Based on the recent developments of the reliability-based structural analysis and design as well as the extending knowledge on the probabiliistic characteristics of load and resistances, the probability based design criteria have been successfully developed for many standards. Since the probabilistic characteristics depend highly on the local load and resistances, it is recognized to develop the design criterion compatible with domestic requirements. The existing optimum design methods, which are generally based on the structural theory and certain engineering experience, do not realistically consider the uncertainties of load and resistances and the basic reliability concepts. This study is directed to propose a optimum design based Expected Total Cost Minimization on P.S.C Box Girder Bridge system which could possibly replace optimum design based traditional provisions of the current code, based on the Neldel-Mead Method reliability theory.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.263-280
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• 2008

Information on the distribution of the basic random variable is essential for the accurate analysis of structural reliability. The usual method for determining the distributions is to fit a candidate distribution to the histogram of available statistical data of the variable and perform approximate goodness-of-fit tests. Generally, such candidate distribution would have parameters that may be evaluated from the statistical moments of the statistical data. In the present paper, a cubic normal distribution, whose parameters are determined using the first four moments of available sample data, is investigated. A parameter table based on the first four moments, which simplifies parameter estimation, is given. The simplicity, generality, flexibility and advantages of this distribution in statistical data analysis and its significance in structural reliability evaluation are discussed. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate these advantages.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.4
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• pp.399-409
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• 2024

Assessment of existing concrete bridges is a challenge for owners. It has greater economic impact when compared to designing new bridges. When using conventional linear analyses, judgment of the engineer is required to understand the behavior of redundant structures after the first element in the structural system reaches its ultimate capacity. The alternative is to use a predictive tool such as advanced nonlinear finite element analyses (ANFEA) to assess the overall structural behavior. This paper proposes a new reliability framework for the assessment of existing bridge structures using ANFEA. A general framework defined in previous works, accounting for material uncertainties and concrete model performance, is adapted to the context of the assessment of existing bridges. A "shifted" reliability problem is defined under the assumption of quasi-deterministic dead load effects. The overall exercise is viewed as a progressive pushover analysis up to structural failure, where the actual safety index is compared at each event to a target reliability index.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.279-295
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• 2011

This paper develops a probabilistic methodology for the seismic reliability analysis of structures with random properties. The earthquake loading is assumed to be described in terms of response spectra. The proposed methodology takes advantage of the response spectra and thus does not require explicit dynamic analysis of the actual structure. Uncertainties in the structural properties (e.g. member cross-sections, modulus of elasticity, member strengths, mass and damping) as well as in the seismic load (due to uncertainty associated with the earthquake load specification) are considered. The structural reliability is estimated by determining the failure probability or the reliability index associated with a performance function that defines safe and unsafe domains. The structural failure is estimated using a performance function that evaluates whether the maximum displacement has been exceeded. Numerical illustrations of reliability analysis of elastic and elastic-plastic single-story frame structures are presented first. The extension of the proposed method to elastic multi-degree-of-freedom uncertain structures is also studied and a solved example is provided.