Mathematical Models for Structural Reliability Analysis offers mathematical models for describing load and material properties in solving structural engineering problems. Examples are provided, demonstrating how the models are implemented, and the limitations of the models are clearly stated. Analytical solutions are also discussed, and methods are clearly distinguished from models. The authors explain both theoretical models and practical applications in a clear, concise, and readable fashion.

The last decades have witnessed the development of methods for solving struc tural reliability problems, which emerged from the efforts of numerous re searchers all over the world. For the specific and most common problem of determining the probability of failure of a structural system in which the limit state function g( x) = 0 is only implicitly known, the proposed methods can be grouped into two main categories: • Methods based on the Taylor expansion of the performance function g(x) about the most likely failure point (the design point), which is determined in the solution process. These methods are known as FORM and SORM (First- and Second Order Reliability Methods, respectively). • Monte Carlo methods, which require repeated calls of the numerical (nor mally finite element) solver of the structural model using a random real ization of the basic variable set x each time. In the first category of methods only SORM can be considered of a wide applicability. However, it requires the knowledge of the first and second deriva tives of the performance function, whose calculation in several dimensions either implies a high computational effort when faced with finite difference techniques or special programs when using perturbation techniques, which nevertheless require the use of large matrices in their computations. In or der to simplify this task, use has been proposed of techniques that can be regarded as variants of the Response Surface Method.

"This book contains contributions that cover a wide spectrum of very important real-world engineering problems, and explores the implementation of neural networks for the representation of structural responses in earthquake engineering. It assesses the efficiency of seismic design procedures and describes the latest findings in intelligent optimal control systems and their applications in structural engineering"--Provided by publisher.

This volume contains thirty-one papers presented at the Twelfth Scientific Meeting of the IFIP Working Group on Reliability and Optimization of Structural Systems which took place in Aalborg, Denmark, from May 22-25, 2005. The Working Group Conference was organized by the IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing) Working Group 7.5 of the Technical Committee on Modelling and Optimization. The purpose of the Working Group is to promote modern structural system reliability and optimization theory and its applications, to stimulate research, development and application of structural system reliability and optimization theory, to assist and advance research and development in these fields, to further the dissemination and exchange of information on reliability and optimization of structural systems, and to encourage education in structural system reliability and optimization theory.

Featuring aerospace examples and applications, Reliability Analysis of Dynamic Systems presents the very latest probabilistic techniques for accurate and efficient dynamic system reliability analysis. While other books cover more broadly the reliability techniques and challenges related to large systems, Dr Bin Wu presents a focused discussion of new methods particularly relevant to the reliability analysis of large aerospace systems under harmonic loads in the low frequency range. Developed and written to help you respond to challenges such as non-linearity of the failure surface, intensive computational costs and complexity in your dynamic system, Reliability Analysis of Dynamic Systems is a specific, detailed and application-focused reference for engineers, researchers and graduate students looking for the latest modeling solutions. The Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press Aerospace Series publishes titles that cover the latest advances in research and development in aerospace. Its scope includes theoretical studies, design methods, and real-world implementations and applications. The readership for the series is broad, reflecting the wide range of aerospace interest and application, but focuses on engineering. Forthcoming titles in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press Aerospace Series: Reliability Analysis of Dynamic Systems • Wake Vortex Control • Aeroacoustics: Fundamentals and Applications in Aeropropulsion Systems • Computational Intelligence in Aerospace Design • Unsteady Flow and Aeroelasticity in Turbomachinery - Authored by a leading figure in Chinese aerospace with 20 years' professional experience in reliability analysis and engineering simulation. - Offers solutions to the challenges of non-linearity, intensive computational cost and complexity in reliability assessment. - Aerospace applications and examples used throughout to illustrate accuracy and efficiency achieved with new methods.

Kriging can be used to determine optimal unbiased predictions for regionalized variables and has been shown to be a powerful tool in slope reliability analysis for reliability-based design. This is the first book to systematically cover the basic theory and applications of the method in slope reliability assessment. The book gives an extensive and detailed presentation of principles and applications, introducing geostatistics and the basic theory of Kriging before addressing the challenges in the application of Kriging in slope reliability analysis. The latest advancements in Kriging application methods are introduced, which enhance computational accuracy and reduce model errors. These include optimization algorithms for spatial parameters in Kriging, adaptive modeling of spatial correlation structures, efficient sampling methods based on Monte Carlo simulation, quantitative analysis of slope failure risks, and reliability analysis methods for unreinforced and reinforced slopes based on conditional random fields. Several case studies are presented to illustrate the practical application and implementation procedures, bridging theory, and practical engineering. Kriging in Slope Reliability Analysis particularly suits consulting engineers, researchers, and postgraduate students.

Structural reliability theory is concerned with the rational treatment of uncertainties in struc tural engineering and with the methods for assessing the safety and serviceability of civil en gineering and other structures. It is a subject which has grown rapidly during the last decade and has evolved from being a topic for academic research to a set of well-developed or develop ing methodologies with a wide range of practical applications. Uncertainties exist in most areas of civil and structural engineeri'1.g and rational design decisions cannot be made without modelling them and taking them into account. Many structural en gineers are shielded from having to think about such problems, at least when designing simple structures, because of the prescriptive and essentially deterministic nature of most codes of practice. This is an undesirable situation. Most loads and other structural design parameters are rarely known with certainty and should be regarded as random variables or stochastic processes, even if in design calculations they are eventually treated as deterministic. Some problems such as the analysis of load combinations cannot even be formulated without recourse to probabilistic reasoning.

Structural Reliability Analysis and Prediction, Third Edition is a textbook which addresses the important issue of predicting the safety of structures at the design stage and also the safety of existing, perhaps deteriorating structures. Attention is focused on the development and definition of limit states such as serviceability and ultimate strength, the definition of failure and the various models which might be used to describe strength and loading. This book emphasises concepts and applications, built up from basic principles and avoids undue mathematical rigour. It presents an accessible and unified account of the theory and techniques for the analysis of the reliability of engineering structures using probability theory. This new edition has been updated to cover new developments and applications and a new chapter is included which covers structural optimization in the context of reliability analysis. New examples and end of chapter problems are also now included.

In this fully up-to-date volume, important new developments and applications of discrete element modelling are highlighted and brought together for presentation at the First International UDEC/3DEC Symposium. Papers covered the following key areas: * behaviour of masonry structures (walls, bridges, towers, columns) * stability and deformation of tunnels and caverns in fractured rock masses * geomechanical modelling for mining and waste repositories * rock reinforcement design (anchors, shotcrete, bolts) * mechanical and hydro-mechanical behaviour of dams and foundations * rock slope stability, deformation and failure mechanisms * modelling of fundamental rock mechanical problems * modelling of geological processes * constitutive laws for fractured rock masses and masonry structures * dynamic behaviour of discrete structures. Numerical Modelling of Discrete Materials in Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Earth Sciences provides an ultra-modern, in-depth analysis of discrete element modelling in a range of different fields, thus proving valuable reading for civil, mining, and geotechnical engineers, as well as other interested professionals.