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STRUCTURAL RELIABILITY
Module # 03 Lecture 1
Course Format: Web

Instructor: Dr. Arunasis Chakraborty Department of Civil Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

1. Lecture 01: Concept of Limit State and Reliability

In this lecture, let us first review the design of a cantilever beam as shown in figure 3.1.1. The basic idea behind this design is to ensure safety, serviceability and economy. These are achieved in an iterative procedure by selecting material and cross section of the beam so that it can withstand a particular value of the applied force called design load. In this design process, material strength is factored down while the load is increased by a factor proposed in standard code of practice.

, Figure 3.1.1 Cantilever Beam subjected to point load at free end

Figure 3.1.1 shows the cantilever beam subjected to a point load at free end. The beam is made of steel and is supposed to be designed against serviceability limit state. The governing equation of this limit state is given below = 3 325 3

3.1.1

It can be noticed that allowable defection of the free end is /325 and is termed as 'Capacity' of the structure. The second term in Eq. 3.1.1 represents the applied deflection due to the point load at the free end i.e. 'Demand'. Therefore, any limit state equation can be represented in the form = = = 0 3.1.2

In the above equation = represents the variable to be considered in the design. In general, there can be '' such variables in the design. Out of them, '' may be associated with Course Instructor: Dr. Arunasis Chakraborty 1

Lecture 01: Concept of Limit State and Reliability Capacity i.e. = 1 2 3 and ' ' may be associated with Demand = +1 +2 +3 + leading to + = . If the variables are deterministic, the design may be iteratively carried out to reach an optimal value of them which, in turn, will ensure all three fundamental requirements stated earlier. The problem becomes more complex when the design variables are random in nature i.e. only defined by their pdf. Let us consider only two random variables i.e. and which are independent. Figure 3.1.2 shows the limit state that divides the design space into safe and unsafe regions.

x2

Unsafe g(X) < 0

Safe g(X) > 0 x1 g(X) = 0 Figure 3.1.2 Limit State showing safe and unsafe regions

From this Figure 3.1.2 one can conclude that there may be infinite combinations of and that falls on the limit state i.e. satisfy the design. So, unlike deterministic design, it is rather tough job for the designer to choose the optimal value. An intuitive solution to this problem is to select the point that has least probability of failure. This gives rise to an important question, how to assess the point on the limit state in the first place? To answer this question let us consider Figure 3.1.3 that shows the pdf of these random variables. fC(c) fD(d)

c, d Figure 3.1.3 Probability of failure for random variations of and

Course Instructor: Dr. Arunasis Chakraborty 2

Lecture 01: Concept of Limit State and Reliability From this Figure 3.1.3, one can easily conclude that the common area under these two pdfs is the probability of failure. The reason behind this claim is that is always less than in this region and hence, ensuring failure. Let us evaluate the common area in this case i.e. .

fC (c) fD (d) C D A1

A2

dc Figure 3.1.4 Reliability Evaluation

c, d

Figure 3.1.4 shows the enlarged version of this area. Note that the probability of ' ' assuming a value of '' is < < + = = 1 2 2 3.1.3

while, probability of > is given by

> =

= 2

3.1.4

Therefore, the reliability of design when ' ' attains a value of ' '

= 1 2 =

3.1.5

Course Instructor: Dr. Arunasis Chakraborty 3

Lecture 01: Concept of Limit State and Reliability It may be noticed that Eq. 3.1.5 is applicable when and are independent which is true in most of the cases. On integrating Eq. 3.1.5, one can evaluate the reliability of the design

3.1.6

Since, and are complementary to each other, the probability of failure can be easily evaluated as

= 1 =

= 1

()

3.1.7

Case 1: and are Independent Normal Let us consider a special case when and are both normal and independent. The probability of failure is given by = < 0 = < 0 = 0 3.1.8

As, and are normal, is also normal. So, by using algebra of variance as discussed in Module 2, one can evaluate the mean and standard deviation of ''. G<0 fG(g) G>0

pf

0 Figure 3.1.5

pdf of g when C and D are normal

Figure 3.1.5 shows the pdf of . From this figure one can easily evaluate the probability of failure (i.e. area on the left hand side of zero) which is given by Course Instructor: Dr. Arunasis Chakraborty 4

Lecture 01: Concept of Limit State and Reliability = 0 = 3.1.9

2 2 1/2 where, = and = ( + ) .

Case 2: and are Independent Lognormal Another illustrative case is considered where both, and are independent and following lognormal distribution. The is evaluated by modifying the limit state which is given by =
<1

3.1.10

G<0 fG(g)

G>0

pf

0 Figure 3.1.6

pdf of g when C and D are lognormal

As, C and D are lognormal, g is also lognormal distributed. Thus, following the definition of as given in Eq. 3.1.10, once can show = ln( )
2 2 ln + ln 1/2

3.1.11

Note: The proof is simple and left as an exercise for the reader.

Course Instructor: Dr. Arunasis Chakraborty 5