6. Insufficient feedback: structural reliability analysis

6.1 Objective of reliability analysis of structures and indicators

The aim of such an analysis is to determine the probability of an undesirable event occurring over an a priori specified time horizon.

For a structure, an undesirable event is a failure or non-compliance with acceptability criteria, generally a rupture or a limit state.

The probability of failure is calculated for a fixed time horizon: for example, this probability is evaluated for a 10-year time horizon for the OMF – structures methodology, or for 20 or even 30 years in the case of long-term sustainability.

A calculation concerns only one ageing mechanism, but a structure generally undergoes several degradation mechanisms. It is therefore necessary...