Evaluation of Failure Probabilities of Mechanical Systems under Seismic Action by the Monte-Carlo Simulation Method

摘要

The need for a stochastic analysis of engineering systems stems from the fact that an important class of structural loads, which evolves with time, exhibits a strong variability in both intensity and frequency content. This class encompasses environmental loads (e.g., wind loads on tall buildings and bridges, hydrodynamic forces on offshore and marine structures, seismic loads on buildings and dams), as well as loads caused by human activity (e.g., traffic loads on bridges, blasts and explosions, loads imposed by industrial machinery).