Risk and Reliability in Geotechnical Engineering

Establishes Geotechnical Reliability as Fundamentally Distinct from Structural Reliability

Reliability-based design is relatively well established in structural design. Its use is less mature in geotechnical design, but there is a steady progression towards reliability-based design as seen in the inclusion of a new Annex D on "Reliability of Geotechnical Structures" in the third edition of ISO 2394. Reliability-based design can be viewed as a simplified form of risk-based design where different consequences of failure are implicitly covered by the adoption of different target reliability indices. Explicit risk management methodologies are required for large geotechnical systems where soil and loading conditions are too varied to be conveniently slotted into a few reliability classes (typically three) and an associated simple discrete tier of target reliability indices.

Risk and Reliability in Geotechnical Engineering makes these reliability and risk methodologies more accessible to practitioners and researchers by presenting soil statistics which are necessary inputs, by explaining how calculations can be carried out using simple tools, and by presenting illustrative or actual examples showcasing the benefits and limitations of these methodologies.

With contributions from a broad international group of authors, this text:

• Presents probabilistic models suited for soil parameters
• Provides easy-to-use Excel-based methods for reliability analysis
• Connects reliability analysis to design codes (including LRFD and Eurocode 7)
• Maximizes value of information using Bayesian updating
• Contains efficient reliability analysis methods

Risk and Reliability in Geotechnical Engineering presents all the "need-to-know" information for a non-specialist to calculate and interpret the reliability index and risk of geotechnical structures in a realistic and robust way. It suits engineers, researchers, and students who are interested in the practical outcomes of reliability and risk analyses without going into the intricacies of the underlying mathematical theories.