Seismic Reliability Analysis of Structures

Progress in the field of earthquake engineering is moving fast towards the implementation of the concepts underlying design for a range of performance targets. Central to this objective is the ability to provide quantitative predictions of future economic losses as well as safety levels, accounting for the many uncertainties involved in the earthquake assessment problem. The book is a timely effort to provide in a selfcontained and comprehensive form the fundamentals indispensable for a proper implementation of the above emerging trends in earthquake engineering. The book starts with introducing the essential notions of probability and reliability'theories, followed by an extensive and in-depth treatment of seismic reliability analysis of structures. The different methods presented include classical, advanced, and practice-oriented techniques, illustrated by means of several detailed applications that deal with realistic problems. The book comprises four chapters and two appendices as follows: Chapter 1: Time-invariant reliability problems Chapter 2: Models of the seismic action Chapter 3: Time-variant reliability problems Chapter 4: Specialized methods for seismic problems Appendix A: Fundamentals of probability theory Appendix B: Random processes The book is strongly recommended for graduate students of a course in seismic reliability analysis, for researchers in earthquake engineering, and for engineers involved in important projects or in the drafting of design codes and specifications. (From: Journal of Earthquake Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 6 (2005) 943)