Reliability of Structural Systems

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The available methods for reliability analysis of structural systems are primarily based on the on the failure mode approach (FMA). Shortcomings of the FMA limit its wider applications. To facilitate the implementation of reliability theory to practical structures, alternative methods, based particularly on the recently proposed stable configuration approach (SCA) will be developed and extended. Approximations to the SCA that are necessary for practical purposes will also be investigated and developed. The reliability of continuous systems requires stochastic methods associated with discretized systems (e.g., by finite elements); a Galerkin formulation and its extension to stochastic finite elements will be examined for this purpose. Monte Carlo algorithms for multi-processor supercomputers will be developed as a practical tool for large-scale system reliability evaluations.