Time-Dependent Reliability Theory and Its Applications

With increasing enforcement of performance-based codes and standards, the need becomes stronger to have methods of predicting service life available for design and asset management, including underpinning theories for these methods. Time-Dependent Reliability Theory and Its Applications introduces the theory of time-dependent reliability and presents methods to determine the reliability of structures over the life span of their services. It contains state-of-the-art solutions to the first passage probability derived from the theory of stochastic processes with different types of probability distribution functions, including Gaussian and non-Gaussian distributions, and stationary and non-stationary processes. The book provides various methods to determine the probability of failure over time considering different failure modes, and a methodology to predict the service life of structures. It also covers the applications of time-dependent reliability to prediction of service life and development of risk cost-optimized maintenance strategy for existing structures. This new book is for those who wants to know how to predict the service life of a structure (buildings, bridges, aircraft structures, etc.) and how to develop risk cost optimized maintenance strategy for these structures. Presents the basic knowledge required to predict the service life and develop a maintenance strategy for infrastructure Explains how to predict the remaining safe life of the infrastructure during its life span of operation Describes how to carry out maintenance for the infrastructure to ensure its safe and serviceable operation during the designed service life