Reliability, performance-based design and code calibration in earthquake engineering

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Structural performance is influenced by many variables, the values of which are not known with certainty. Because of this randomness, there always exist the possibility that the structure will not perform as intended. Performance-based design aims at designing a structure so that the probabilities of non-performance, under different performance criteria, will not exceed tolerable limits while, at the same time, some structural attribute (like total cost) will be minimized. This proposal refers to the final development of robust software for calculating probabilities of non-performance and implementing performance-based design. The proposal aims, in particular, at applications in earthquake engineering and to calibration of codified seismic design procedures. The software RELAN and IRELAN, to be finalized, have been in continuous development at the University of British Columbia and are freely available. Calibration of seismic code design provisions will concentrate, as an example, on the case of the city of Vancouver. The proposal also includes continuing research collaboration with IMAE, the Institute of Applied Mechanics and Structures of the University of Rosario, Argentina. This collaboration also emphasizes reliability and performance-based design in earthquake engineering.