Structural Health Monitoring and Control
Structural Health Monitoring and Control
Structural Reliability and Safety
Nirjhar Dhang
√
Version : 1.414 : 2
Created on : January 01, 2017
Last revision : January 18, 2024
Module G : Structural Reliability and Safety
Module G-1 : Structural Reliability
Overview
1 Structural Safety
2 Partial safety factors
3 Functions of Random Variables
4 Summary
Structural Safety
Structural Safety
Structural safety appears in different forms when criteria for
design are stated in codes and specifications.
The most commonly encountered criteria for design are :
Allowable stress design(ASD)
Ultimate strength design(USD)
Load and resistance factor design(LRFD)
Structural Safety(contd...)
Allowable stress design(ASD)
Structural members are designed such that the computed
elastic stress is less than or equal to a fraction of a limiting
value such as the yield stress of the material
The computed elastic stress is obtained from an analysis of
the structure using specified design loads.
Structural Safety(contd...)
Ultimate strength design(USD)
Design loads are increased by a factor
The computed strength of a structural member is reduced
by a factor
The computed strength of a structural member is based on
ultimate behaviour
An elastic analysis is used to obtain the member forces
Vu ≤ ϕVn (1)
where ϕ is a strength reduction factor, Vn is the nominal
shear strength of the beam and Vu is the factored shear
force at the section under consideration
Structural Safety(contd...)
Load and resistance factor design(LRFD)
This method has been introduced by the American Institute
of Steel Construction(AISC).
It is characterized by an expression of the form
X
γi Qi ≤ ϕRn (2)
where γi is the load factor for the ith load effect, Qi is the
ith load effect, ϕ is a resistance factor, and Rn is the
nominal resistance(strength).
A similar method is used in the AASHTO specification
Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges
Partial safety factors
Partial safety factors
µQ
Figure 1: Relationships among nominal load, mean load and factored load
Partial safety factors
µR
Figure 2: Relationships among nominal resistance, mean resistance and
factored resistance
Partial safety factors
µQ µR
Figure 3: Relationships among nominal, mean and factored load and
resistance
Partial safety factors(contd...)
In load and resistance factor design (LRFD) or limit state design
(LSD), load components are multiplied by load factors and
resistance is multiplied by a resistance factor.
The basic form of the LRFD equation is
X
ϕR ≥ γi Qi (3)
where γi is a load factor applied to load components (or load
effect) Qi and ϕ is a resistance factor applied to the
resistance(measure of load carrying capacity) R.
Partial safety factors(contd...)
The basic form of the LRFD equation is
X
ϕR ≥ γi Qi (4)
In words, the equation says that the capacity of the structural
member (modified by the factor ϕ) must be larger than the total
effect of all the loads acting on the member.
Partial safety factors(contd...)
Forward problem: To determine β given a limit state function
(or performance function) and the mean and variance (or
standard deviation or coefficient of variation) for each of the
random variables used in the limit state function.
Inverse problem: A target β is specified and it is then necessary
to determine the required mean values of the resistance and
loads to achieve the target.
This means that we need to find the design point {z ∗ }
corresponding to the target β.
Partial safety factors(contd...)
Assume that the design points {z ∗ } (in reduced coordinates)
corresponding to a target β is known. To get the corresponding
design point {x ∗ } in original coordinates, the following relation
is used for each variable.
xi∗ = µxi + zi∗ σxi (5)
Since the design point must be on the failure boundary, the limit
state function must satisfy
g(x1∗ , x2∗ , ..., xi∗ ) = 0 (6)
For design purposes, it is necessary to relate each design point
value xi∗ to a value of the variable used in design (e.g. a nominal
design value specified by the code).
Partial safety factors(contd...)
If the nominal design value of Xi is denoted by xei , then the
partial safety factor γi is defined as
x∗
γi = i (7)
xei
The partial safety factor is nothing more than a scaling factor
that allows the designer to convert a nominal design value of a
variable to the value needed to satisfy the limit state function for
a target β.
g(x1∗ , x2∗ , ..., xi∗ ) = 0 (8)
Functions of Random Variables
Functions of Random Variables
Let Y be a linear function of random variables X1 ,X2 ,. . .,Xn :
n
X
Y = a0 + a1 X1 + a2 X2 + ... + an Xn = a0 + ai Xi (9)
i=1
The mean value of Y is :
n
X
µY = a0 + a1 µX1 + a2 µX2 + ... + an µXn = a0 + ai µXi (10)
i=1
The variance of Y is :
h i
σY2 = E (Y − µY )2 (11)
= E [Y 2 ] − µ2Y (12)
n X
X n
= ai aj CoV (Xi , Xj ) (13)
i=1 i=1
Xn X n
= ai aj ρxi xj σxi σxj (14)
i=1 i=1
Functions of Random Variables
n
X
Y = a0 + a1 X1 + a2 X2 + ... + an Xn = a0 + ai Xi (15)
i=1
The variance of Y is :
n X
n
σY2 =
X
ai aj CoV (Xi , Xj ) (16)
i=1 i=1
Xn X n
= ai aj ρxi xj σxi σxj (17)
i=1 i=1
Note that the constant a0 does not affect the variance
If the n random variables are uncorrelated with each other, then
CoV (Xi , Xj ) = 0 for i ̸= j
n
σY2 = ai2 σx2i
X
(18)
i=1
Functions of Random Variables
n
X
Y = a0 + a1 X1 + a2 X2 + ... + an Xn = a0 + ai Xi (19)
i=1
The mean value of Y is :
n
X
µY = a0 + a1 µX1 + a2 µX2 + ... + an µXn = a0 + ai µXi (20)
i=1
The variance of Y for uncorrleated random variables is :
n
σY2 = ai2 σx2i
X
(21)
i=1
Probability of failure
Performance function
g(R, Q) = R − Q (22)
The structure fails when the load exceeds the resistance.
Reliability Index
Performance function
g(R, Q) = R − Q (23)
For the basic variables R and Q, the standard forms can be
expressed as
R − µR
ZR = (24)
σR
Q − µQ
ZQ = (25)
σQ
The variables ZR and ZQ are sometimes called random variables
The resistance R and the load Q can be expressed in terms of
the reduced variables as follows:
R = µ R + ZR σ R (26)
Q = µQ + ZQ σQ (27)
Reliability Index
R = µ R + ZR σ R (28)
Q = µQ + ZQ σQ (29)
The limit state function can be expressed in terms of the
reduced variables
g(ZR , ZQ ) = µR + ZR σR − µQ − ZQ σR (30)
= (µR − µQ ) + ZR σR − ZQ σQ (31)
Reliability Index
µR − µQ
β=q (32)
σR2 + σQ2
β = −Φ−1 (Pf ) or Pf = Φ(−β) (33)
First-Order Second-Moment Reliability Index
The linear limit state function
g(X1 , X2 , . . . , Xn ) = a0 + a1 µX1 + a2 µX2 + ... + an µXn (34)
n
X
= a0 + ai µXi (35)
i=1
Pn
a0 + ai µXi
β= qP i=1 (36)
n
a2 σ 2
i=1 i xi
If variance, V is given, σ = V µ
Summary
Summary
It is very important to find out the system reliability as it may
differ from element reliability for series and parallel system.
References
Reliability of structures, A. S. Nowak and K. R. Collins,
McGraw-Hill
Contacts:
Prof. Nirjhar Dhang
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Kharagpur-721302
West Bengal
INDIA
Email:nirjhar@[Link]