Structural Reliability Theory and Its Applications

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XIII

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2. The Treatment of Uncertainties in Structural Engineering

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 1-11

3. Fundamentals of Probability Theory

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 13-35

4. Probabilistic Models for Loads and Resistance Variables

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 37-65

5. Fundamentals of Structural Reliability Theory

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 67-80

6. Level 2 Methods

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 81-93

7. Extended Level 2 Methods

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 95-111

8. Reliability of Structural Systems

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 113-127

9. Reliability Bounds for Structural Systems

   • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

   Pages 129-143

10. Introduction to Stochastic Process Theory and its Uses

    • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

    Pages 145-159

11. Load Combinations

    • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

    Pages 161-175

12. Applications to Structural Codes

    • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

    Pages 177-202

13. Applications to Fixed Offshore Structures

    • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

    Pages 203-237

14. Reliability Theory and Quality Assurance

    • Palle Thoft-Christensen, Michael J. Baker

    Pages 239-248

15. Back Matter

    Pages 249-267

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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.

• Applications
• Bautechnik
• Reliability
• Structural Reliability
• Technische Zuverlässigkeit

• Institute of Building Technology and Structural Engineering, Aalborg University Centre, Aalborg, Denmark

  Palle Thoft-Christensen

• Department of Civil Engineering, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, England

  Michael J. Baker

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