SYSTEM RELIABILITY STUDY OF FRAMED STEEL STRUCTURES

Structural reliability theory is concerned with the rational treatment of structural performance, and with the methods for evaluating the safety and serviceability of structures. Uncertainties exist in most areas of Civil and Structural engineering. Most loads and other structural design parameters are rarely known with certainty and should be regarded as random variables.; The primary objective of this research is the investigation and development of methods for determining the reliability of structural systems. Two fundamental concepts are considered: (1) Establish realistic 'limit states' for structural systems to describe the response of structures under loads. (2) Develop a valid procedure for computing the reliability of structural systems.; The main core of the first part is devoted to the so-called nonlinear incremental loading procedure of structural analysis which has provided the key to evaluate the ultimate structural system resistance by identifying significant failure modes of redundant structural systems.; In the second reliability computational part, the particular emphases are on the development of an approximate solution for multivariate normal integrals based on the extension of first-order methods and the application of Monte Carlo methods to the field of system reliability.; Several sample structures are examined. The purpose of these is to illustrate the application of the computational methods developed in this research to practical problems.