Probabilistic Structural Analysis and Reliability

Recommended Prerequisites

The pre-requisites of this course are those corresponding to the application for the MSc course CMM.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methods of lectures aim at the global learning of the discipline.

The lectures are supported in the literature and presentations, with the support of media. There is an opportunity to discuss the concepts and more difficult issues. Occasionally students are invited to attend lectures by visiting specialists. Tutorial lessons (22.5 hours) will be to answer questions and to help in the final project.

Learning Outcomes

Dublin descriptors

1. Knowledge and ability to understand

1.1. Understanding and using concepts of the theoretical foundations for bridge structures

1.2. Understand the structure of discipline and connection with others

1.3. Ability to synthesize information

2. Application of Knowledge and Understanding

2.1. Apply knowledge to solve problems in new situations

3. Realization of judgment / decision making

3.1. To interpret data, support and argue orally and in writing of certain decisions

4. Communication

4.1. Understand and know how to use sources of information. Ability to use research and literature

4.2. Learn adequately convey the knowledge, even for non-specialist audiences

5. Self-learning skills

5.1. ability to learn independently throughout their lives.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Advanced methods in reliability assessment - non-statistical methods (perturbation technique).

2. Probabilistic FEM.

3. Statistical methods (adaptive sampling, importance sampling).

4. Simulation techniques in conjunction with the response surface method.

5. Assessment of remaining fatigue life - high cycle fatigue.

6. Low cycle fatigue.

7. Applications - load duration vs. strength (shear wall systems, wood structures).

8. Reliability-based optimum design - formulation of optimization problems.

9. Solution techniques (graphical-optimization method, Lagrange multiplier method, penalty function method).

10. Applications - reliability of the strength of laminated composites.

11. Sensitivity analysis.

12. An introduction to random processes - autocorrelation function - autocovariance function, stationarity and ergodicity.

13. The harmonic analysis of stationary processes - power spectral density, cross - correlation function.

Assessment Methods

Final
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

L. M. Leemis: Reliability. Probabilistic Models and Statistical Methods. Prentice-Hall,

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 1995

P. Marek, J. Brozzetti, M. Guštar, P. Tikalsky: Probabilistic Assessment of Structures. Institute of Applied Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 2nd edition, Praha 2003