Computation of the failure probability of deteriorating structural systems

Abstract

Structural system deterioration is one of the least attended topics in time-dependent structural reliability analysis. There are basically two types of problems in structural deterioration analysis; one is the need for models to simulate the behaviour of deteriorating structural material. This will be done through case by case study in this paper. The other problem is that when both the applied loads and resistance vary with time, the current methods to generate limit state functions for the structural system need validating. To avoid this problem, an alternative formulation for time-dependent reliability is proposed, where the reliability analysis of a deteriorating structural system is based on the reliability of its structural members, which constitute a failure sequence for the structure. The advantage of the proposed approach is that it has effectively obviated the use of global limit state functions and that it is applicable to structures subject to various types of loads and with different structural material properties. An application example is given to illustrate the computation procedure.