Reliability analysis and design optimization of nonlinear structures

Abstract Reliability analysis and design optimization of structures have been gaining a significant amount of attention in recent decades. Most of the current studies are based on linear structural analysis. The study on reliability analysis and design optimization for nonlinear structures has not been well explored. This paper presents studies on reliability analysis and design optimization for nonlinear structures, by using the Kriging based method and First-Order Reliability Method (FORM). Numerical studies on nonlinear reinforced concrete structures and steel frame structures are carried out to verify the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methods. The results demonstrate that the FORM and Kriging based methods have the same accuracy as those from Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method. Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) is conducted for nonlinear structures, in which the dimensions of structures can be optimized and the target occurrence probability can be achieved. Compared with FORM based RBDO method, the Kriging based method is more accurate and efficient. The response sensitivity is not required in the Kriging based method, which makes it more versatile.