Computational stochastic structural analysis — a contribution to the software development for the reliability assessment of structures under dynamic loading

Mainly due to the lack of respective available procedures generally, traditional methods of analysis and design of engineering structures neglect the statistical, i.e. intrinsic, uncertainties of the parameters involved. As shown in the present paper, however, the treatment of complex systems becomes feasible by interrelating mechanical modeling procedures, e.g. by finite elements, with efficient and accurate stochastic analysis, e.g. Monte Carlo type simulation. Hence the suggested method, which is in fact based on the response surface procedures, allows the utilization of the respective most modern structural as well as stochastic analysis procedures. This, of course implies the total collapse failure criterion of structures under dynamic loading.