Relative entropy-based reliability assessment of cable structures

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the reliability assessment of civil engineering cable structures subjected to various sources of environmental uncertainty as well as structural imperfections. Such an analysis is extremely important considering nonlinear character of their structural response, increasing statistical scattering of weather phenomena, small cross-sections and large deformations as well as usually very optimal character. This assessment has been completed using both the First Order Reliability Method (FORM) as well as the new apparatus based on the relative entropy approach proposed in Bhattacharyya mathematical theory. Numerical experiment has been completed here using the 10 th order iterative generalized Stochastic Finite Element Method in its displacement formulation.