Reliability Of Structures Second Edition

Reliability of Structures enables both students and practising engineers to appreciate how to value and handle reliability as an important dimension of structural design. It discusses the concepts of limit states and limit state functions, and presents methodologies for calculating reliability indices and calibrating partial safety factors. It also supplies information on the probability distributions and parameters used to characterize both applied loads and member resistances. This revised and extended second edition contains more discussions of US and international codes and the issues underlying their development. There is significant revision and expansion of the discussion on Monte Carlo simulation, along with more examples. The book serves as a textbook for a one-semester course for advanced undergraduates or graduate students, or as a reference and guide to consulting structural engineers. Its emphasis is on the practical applications of structural reliability theory rather than the theory itself. Consequently, probability theory is treated as a tool, and enough is given to show the novice reader how to calculate reliability. Some background in structural engineering and structural mechanics is assumed. A solutions manual is available upon qualifying course adoption.

Based on material taught at the University of California, Berkeley, this textbook offers a modern, rigorous and comprehensive treatment of the methods of structural and system reliability analysis. It covers the first- and second-order reliability methods for components and systems, simulation methods, time- and space-variant reliability, and Bayesian parameter estimation and reliability updating. It also presents more advanced, state-of-the-art topics such as finite-element reliability methods, stochastic structural dynamics, reliability-based optimal design, and Bayesian networks. A wealth of well-designed examples connect theory with practice, with simple examples demonstrating mathematical concepts and larger examples demonstrating their applications. End-of-chapter homework problems are included throughout. Including all necessary background material from probability theory, and accompanied online by a solutions manual and PowerPoint slides for instructors, this is the ideal text for senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on structural and system reliability in departments of civil, environmental and mechanical engineering.

Publisher Description

A quarter of the century has elapsed since I gave my first course in structural reliability to graduate students at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Since that time on I have given many courses and seminars to students, researchers, designers, and site engineers interested in reliability. I also participated in and was responsible for numerous projects where reliability solutions were required. During that period, the scope of structural reliability gradually enlarged to become a substantial part of the general reliability theory. First, it is apparent that bearing structures should not be isolated objectives of interest, and, consequently, that constntCted facilities should be studied. Second, a new engineering branch has emerged -reliability engineering. These two facts have highlighted new aspects and asked for new approaches to the theory and applications. I always state in my lectures that the reliability theory is nothing more than mathematized engineering judgment. In fact, thanks mainly to probability and statistics, and also to computers, the empirical knowledge gained by Humankind's construction experience could have been transposed into a pattern of logic thinking, able to produce conclusions and to forecast the behavior of engineering entities. This manner of thinking has developed into an intricate network linked by certain rules, which, in a way, can be considered a type of reliability grammar. We can discern many grammatical concepts in the general structure of the reliability theory.

Reliability of Structures enables both students and practising engineers to appreciate how to value and handle reliability as an important dimension of structural design. It discusses the concepts of limit states and limit state functions, and presents methodologies for calculating reliability indices and calibrating partial safety factors. It also supplies information on the probability distributions and parameters used to characterize both applied loads and member resistances. This revised and extended second edition contains more discussions of US and international codes and the issues underlying their development. There is significant revision and expansion of the discussion on Monte Carlo simulation, along with more examples. The book serves as a textbook for a one-semester course for advanced undergraduates or graduate students, or as a reference and guide to consulting structural engineers. Its emphasis is on the practical applications of structural reliability theory rather than the theory itself. Consequently, probability theory is treated as a tool, and enough is given to show the novice reader how to calculate reliability. Some background in structural engineering and structural mechanics is assumed. A solutions manual is available upon qualifying course adoption.

An authoritative guide to the most recent advances in statistical methods for quantifying reliability Statistical Methods for Reliability Data, Second Edition (SMRD2) is an essential guide to the most widely used and recently developed statistical methods for reliability data analysis and reliability test planning. Written by three experts in the area, SMRD2 updates and extends the long- established statistical techniques and shows how to apply powerful graphical, numerical, and simulation-based methods to a range of applications in reliability. SMRD2 is a comprehensive resource that describes maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods for solving practical problems that arise in product reliability and similar areas of application. SMRD2 illustrates methods with numerous applications and all the data sets are available on the book’s website. Also, SMRD2 contains an extensive collection of exercises that will enhance its use as a course textbook. The SMRD2's website contains valuable resources, including R packages, Stan model codes, presentation slides, technical notes, information about commercial software for reliability data analysis, and csv files for the 93 data sets used in the book's examples and exercises. The importance of statistical methods in the area of engineering reliability continues to grow and SMRD2 offers an updated guide for, exploring, modeling, and drawing conclusions from reliability data. SMRD2 features: Contains a wealth of information on modern methods and techniques for reliability data analysis Offers discussions on the practical problem-solving power of various Bayesian inference methods Provides examples of Bayesian data analysis performed using the R interface to the Stan system based on Stan models that are available on the book's website Includes helpful technical-problem and data-analysis exercise sets at the end of every chapter Presents illustrative computer graphics that highlight data, results of analyses, and technical concepts Written for engineers and statisticians in industry and academia, Statistical Methods for Reliability Data, Second Edition offers an authoritative guide to this important topic.

This book provides readers with an understanding of the fundamentals and applications of structural reliability, stochastic finite element method, reliability analysis via stochastic expansion, and optimization under uncertainty. It examines the use of stochastic expansions, including polynomial chaos expansion and Karhunen-Loeve expansion for the reliability analysis of practical engineering problems.

Without proper reliability and maintenance planning, even the most efficient and seemingly cost-effective designs can incur enormous expenses due to repeated or catastrophic failure and subsequent search for the cause. Today’s engineering students face increasing pressure from employers, customers, and regulators to produce cost-efficient designs that are less prone to failure and that are safe and easy to use. The second edition of Reliability Engineering aims to provide an understanding of reliability principles and maintenance planning to help accomplish these goals. This edition expands the treatment of several topics while maintaining an integrated introductory resource for the study of reliability evaluation and maintenance planning. The focus across all of the topics treated is the use of analytical methods to support the design of dependable and efficient equipment and the planning for the servicing of that equipment. The argument is made that probability models provide an effective vehicle for portraying and evaluating the variability that is inherent in the performance and longevity of equipment. With a blend of mathematical rigor and readability, this book is the ideal introductory textbook for graduate students and a useful resource for practising engineers.

This major textbook provides comprehensive coverage of the analytical tools required to determine the dynamic response of structures. The topics covered include: formulation of the equations of motion for single- as well as multi-degree-of-freedom discrete systems using the principles of both vector mechanics and analytical mechanics; free vibration response; determination of frequencies and mode shapes; forced vibration response to harmonic and general forcing functions; dynamic analysis of continuous systems;and wave propagation analysis. The key assets of the book include comprehensive coverage of both the traditional and state-of-the-art numerical techniques of response analysis, such as the analysis by numerical integration of the equations of motion and analysis through frequency domain. The large number of illustrative examples and exercise problems are of great assistance in improving clarity and enhancing reader comprehension. The text aims to benefit students and engineers in the civil, mechanical and aerospace sectors.

Marine Structural Design, Second Edition, is a wide-ranging, practical guide to marine structural analysis and design, describing in detail the application of modern structural engineering principles to marine and offshore structures. Organized in five parts, the book covers basic structural design principles, strength, fatigue and fracture, and reliability and risk assessment, providing all the knowledge needed for limit-state design and re-assessment of existing structures. Updates to this edition include new chapters on structural health monitoring and risk-based decision-making, arctic marine structural development, and the addition of new LNG ship topics, including composite materials and structures, uncertainty analysis, and green ship concepts. Provides the structural design principles, background theory, and know-how needed for marine and offshore structural design by analysis Covers strength, fatigue and fracture, reliability, and risk assessment together in one resource, emphasizing practical considerations and applications Updates to this edition include new chapters on structural health monitoring and risk-based decision making, and new content on arctic marine structural design