• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.595-611
• /
• 2013

This paper aims to compare three collocation point methods associated with the odd order stochastic response surface method (SRSM) in a systematical and quantitative way. The SRSM with the Hermite polynomial chaos is briefly introduced first. Then, three collocation point methods, namely the point method, the root method and the without origin method underlying the odd order SRSMs are highlighted. Three examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the three methods. The results indicate that the condition that the Hermite polynomial information matrix evaluated at the collocation points has a full rank should be satisfied to yield reliability results with a sufficient accuracy. The point method and the without origin method are much more efficient than the root method, especially for the reliability problems involving a large number of random variables or requiring complex finite element analysis. The without origin method can also produce sufficiently accurate reliability results in comparison with the point and root methods. Therefore, the origin often used as a collocation point is not absolutely necessary. The odd order SRSMs with the point method and the without origin method are recommended for the reliability analysis due to their computational accuracy and efficiency. The order of SRSM has a significant influence on the results associated with the three collocation point methods. For normal random variables, the SRSM with an order equaling or exceeding the order of a performance function can produce reliability results with a sufficient accuracy. The order of SRSM should significantly exceed the order of the performance function involving strongly non-normal random variables.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 2017

Service life assessments which do not include the synergy between mechanical and environmental loading are neglecting a factor that can have a significant impact on structural safety and durability assessment. The degradation of concrete structure is a result of the combined effect of environmental and mechanical factors. In order to make service life design realistic it is necessary to consider both of these factors acting simultaneously. This paper deals with the advanced modelling of concrete carbonation and chloride ingress into concrete using stochastic 1D and 2D models. Widely accepted models incorporated into the new fib Model Code 2010 are extended to include factors that reflect the coupled effects of mechanical and environmental loads on the durability and reliability of reinforced concrete structures. An example of cooling tower degradation by carbonation and an example of a bended reinforced concrete beam kept for several years in salt fog are numerically studied to show the capability of the stochastic approach. The modelled degradation measures are compared with experimental results, leading to good agreement.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.111-128
• /
• 2014

The stochastic response surface method (SRSM) and the response surface method (RSM) are often used for structural reliability analysis, especially for reliability problems with implicit performance functions. This paper aims to compare these two methods in terms of fitting the performance function, accuracy and efficiency in estimating probability of failure as well as statistical moments of system output response. The computational procedures of two response surface methods are briefly introduced first. Then their capabilities are demonstrated and compared in detail through two examples. The results indicate that the probability of failure mainly reflects the accuracy of the response surface function (RSF) fitting the performance function in the vicinity of the design point, while the statistical moments of system output response reflect the accuracy of the RSF fitting the performance function in the entire space. In addition, the performance function can be well fitted by the SRSM with an optimal order polynomial chaos expansion both in the entire physical and in the independent standard normal spaces. However, it can be only well fitted by the RSM in the vicinity of the design point. For reliability problems involving random variables with approximate normal distributions, such as normal, lognormal, and Gumbel Max distributions, both the probability of failure and statistical moments of system output response can be accurately estimated by the SRSM, whereas the RSM can only produce the probability of failure with a reasonable accuracy.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.4 no.6
• /
• pp.703-715
• /
• 1996

In stochastic analysis, the randomness of the structural parameters is taken into consideration and the response variability is obtained in addition to the conventional (mean) response. In the present paper the structural response variability of plate structure is calculated using the weighted integral method and is compared with the results obtained by different methods. The stochastic field is assumed to be normally distributed and to have the homogeneity. The decomposition of strain-displacement matrix enabled us to extend the formulation to the stochastic analysis with the quadratic elements in the weighted integral method. A new auto-correlation function is derived considering the uncertainty of plate thickness. The results obtained in the numerical examples by two different methods, i.e., weighted integral method and Monte Carlo simulation, are in a close agreement. In the case of the variable plate thickness, the obtained results are in good agreement with those of Lawrence and Monte Carlo simulation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.64 no.2
• /
• pp.259-270
• /
• 2017

The stochastic vibration response of the sandwich beam with the nonlinear adjustable visco-elastomer core and supported mass under stochastic support motion excitations is studied. The nonlinear dynamic properties of the visco-elastomer core are considered. The nonlinear partial differential equations for the horizontal and vertical coupling motions of the sandwich beam are derived. An analytical solution method for the stochastic vibration response of the nonlinear sandwich beam is developed. The nonlinear partial differential equations are converted into the nonlinear ordinary differential equations representing the nonlinear stochastic multi-degree-of-freedom system by using the Galerkin method. The nonlinear stochastic system is converted further into the equivalent quasi-linear system by using the statistic linearization method. The frequency-response function, response spectral density and mean square response expressions of the nonlinear sandwich beam are obtained. Numerical results are given to illustrate new stochastic vibration response characteristics and response reduction capability of the sandwich beam with the nonlinear visco-elastomer core and supported mass under stochastic support motion excitations. The influences of geometric and physical parameters on the stochastic response of the nonlinear sandwich beam are discussed, and the numerical results of the nonlinear sandwich beam are compared with those of the sandwich beam with linear visco-elastomer core.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.231-251
• /
• 2012

The stochastic optimal control for a piezoelectric spherically symmetric shell subjected to stochastic boundary perturbations is constructed, analyzed and evaluated. The stochastic optimal control problem on the boundary stress output reduction of the piezoelectric shell subjected to stochastic boundary displacement perturbations is presented. The electric potential integral as a function of displacement is obtained to convert the differential equations for the piezoelectric shell with electrical and mechanical coupling into the equation only for displacement. The displacement transformation is constructed to convert the stochastic boundary conditions into homogeneous ones, and the transformed displacement is expanded in space to convert further the partial differential equation for displacement into ordinary differential equations by using the Galerkin method. Then the stochastic optimal control problem of the piezoelectric shell in partial differential equations is transformed into that of the multi-degree-of-freedom system. The optimal control law for electric potential is determined according to the stochastic dynamical programming principle. The frequency-response function matrix, power spectral density matrix and correlation function matrix of the controlled system response are derived based on the theory of random vibration. The expressions of mean-square stress, displacement and electric potential of the controlled piezoelectric shell are finally obtained to evaluate the control effectiveness. Numerical results are given to illustrate the high relative reduction in the root-mean-square boundary stress of the piezoelectric shell subjected to stochastic boundary displacement perturbations by the optimal electric potential control.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.55 no.3
• /
• pp.525-534
• /
• 2015

A new structural dynamic fuzzy reliability analysis under stochastic loads which are applied several times is proposed in this paper. The fuzzy reliability prediction models based on time responses with and without strength degeneration are established using the stress-strength interference theory. The random loads are applied several times and fuzzy structural strength is analyzed. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated numerically through an example. The results have shown that the proposed method is practicable, feasible and gives a reasonably accurate prediction. The analysis shows that the probabilistic reliability is a special case of fuzzy reliability and fuzzy reliability of structural strength without degeneration is also a special case of fuzzy reliability with structural strength degeneration.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.541-558
• /
• 2011

This paper presents an analysis of stochastic eigenvalue problem of plane bar structures. Particular attention is paid to the effect of spatial variations of the flexural properties of the structure on the first four eigenvalues. The problem of spatial variations of the structure properties and their effect on the first four eigenvalues is analyzed in detail. The stochastic eigenvalue problem was solved independently by stochastic finite element method (stochastic FEM) and Monte Carlo techniques. It was revealed that the spatial variations of the structural parameters along the structure may substantially affect the eigenvalues with quite wide gap between the two extreme cases of zero- and full-correlation. This is particularly evident for the multi-segment structures for which technology may dictate natural bounds of zero- and full-correlation cases.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.281-294
• /
• 2008

In this paper, linear elastic isotropic structures under the effects of both stochastic operators and stochastic excitations are studied. The analysis utilizes the spectral stochastic finite elements (SSFEM) with its two main expansions namely; Neumann and Homogeneous Chaos expansions. The random excitation and the random operator fields are assumed to be second order stochastic processes. The formulations are obtained for the system solution of the two dimensional problems of plane strain and plate bending structures under stochastic loading and relevant rigidity using the previously mentioned expansions. Two finite element programs were developed to incorporate such formulations. Two illustrative examples are introduced: the first is a reinforced concrete culvert with stochastic rigidity subjected to a stochastic load where the culvert is modeled as plane strain problem. The second example is a simply supported square reinforced concrete slab subjected to out of plane loading in which the slab flexural rigidity and the applied load are considered stochastic. In each of the two examples, the first two statistical moments of displacement are evaluated using both expansions. The probability density function of the structure response of each problem is obtained using Homogeneous Chaos expansion.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.62 no.6
• /
• pp.703-708
• /
• 2017

The goal of this study is to evaluate behavior uncertainties of structures by using interval finite element analysis based on interval factor method as a specific non-stochastic tool. The interval finite element method, i.e., interval FEM, is a finite element method that uses interval parameters in situations where it is not possible to get reliable probabilistic characteristics of the structure. The present method solves the uncertainty problems of a 2D solid structure, in which structural characteristics are assumed to be represented as interval parameters. An interval analysis method using interval factors is applied to obtain the solution. Numerical applications verify the intuitive effectiveness of the present method to investigate structural uncertainties such as displacement and stress without the application of probability theory.