Publication

Considerations on the partial safety factor format for reinforced concrete structures accounting for multiple failure modes

Abstract

The increasing usage of nonlinear analyses for the design of reinforced concrete structures and the necessity of codes of practice to provide a consistent safety format for them is one of the challenges that new generations of codes of practice are facing. Suitable safety formats shall thus account for the peculiarities of nonlinear analysis, such as the possibility of having multiple potential failure modes. In this paper, the applicability of the classical Partial Safety Factor Format (PSFF) for the resistance of reinforced concrete structures (composed of two safety factors: gamma C for concrete compressive strength and gamma S for reinforcement yield strength) is investigated accounting for the possibility of multiple failure modes in nonlinear analysis. In addition, the similarities between nonlinear analysis and typical simple cases in the design of structural concrete are shown. Reliability analysis is performed for the design resistance of concrete structures according to PSFF under different design situations (crosssectional resistance or load-bearing capacity of structural elements and of simple structural systems). The results show that the PSFF applied to material strength variables leads to a satisfactory level of reliability, independently of the development of different failure modes induced by material uncertainties in nonlinear analysis. In addition, it is also observed that the simplification of integrating geometrical and model uncertainties into the partial safety factors for material strength variables can potentially underestimate their influence on the structural reliability in some cases. The case studies shows that occurrence of multiple failure modes can result into significantly different distribution characteristics between the tail and most probable region of the resistance of concrete structures. Attention should also be paid to a proper tail approximation of the probability distribution of the resistance when calibrating safety formats for concrete structures.

About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Related concepts (32)
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility. The reinforcement is usually, though not necessarily, steel bars (rebar) and is usually embedded passively in the concrete before the concrete sets. However, post-tensioning is also employed as a technique to reinforce the concrete. In terms of volume used annually, it is one of the most common engineering materials.
Concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that cures over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most widely used building material. Its usage worldwide, ton for ton, is twice that of steel, wood, plastics, and aluminium combined. When aggregate is mixed with dry Portland cement and water, the mixture forms a fluid slurry that is easily poured and molded into shape.
Types of concrete
Concrete is produced in a variety of compositions, finishes and performance characteristics to meet a wide range of needs. Modern concrete mix designs can be complex. The choice of a concrete mix depends on the need of the project both in terms of strength and appearance and in relation to local legislation and building codes. The design begins by determining the requirements of the concrete. These requirements take into consideration the weather conditions that the concrete will be exposed to in service, and the required design strength.
Show more
Related publications (99)

Influence of model uncertainty and long term deformations in action effects calculation in reinforced concrete structures

Xhemsi Malja

Most codes of practice adopt a semi probabilistic design approach for the dimensioning and assessment of structures. Accordingly, structural safety is ensured by performing limit state verifications using design values determined with adequately calibrated ...
EPFL2024

Model uncertainties in action effects and load bearing capacity calculation in statically indeterminate reinforced concrete structures

Aurelio Muttoni, Alain Nussbaumer, Xhemsi Malja

For the dimensioning and assessment of structures, it is common practice to compare action effects with sectional resistances. Extensive studies have been performed to quantify the model uncertainty on the resistance side. However, for statically indetermi ...
Ernst & Sohn2024

Reusability assessment of reinforced concrete components prior to deconstruction from obsolete buildings

Corentin Jean Dominique Fivet, Maléna Bastien Masse, Julie Rachel Devènes

A large part of building demolitions is motivated by purely socio-economic reasons. Hence, about-to-be-demolished structures, commonly made of reinforced concrete, very often present no or little degradation. When adaptive reuse of the entire building is n ...
2024
Show more
Related MOOCs (6)
The Art of Structures I - Cables and arcs
Ce cours présente les principes du fonctionnement, du dimensionnement et de la conception des structures. L'approche est basée sur une utilisation de la statique graphique et traite en particulier des
The Art of Structures I - Cables and arcs
L'art des structures propose une découverte du fonctionnement des structures porteuses, telles que les bâtiments, les toitures ou les ponts. Ce cours présente les principes du dimensionnement et les s
Sorption and transport in cementitious materials
Learn how to study and improve the durability of cementitious materials.
Show more

Graph Chatbot

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.