CEG8304 : Structural Reliability
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Peter Gosling
- Owning School: Engineering
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aim of the module is to enable students to understand the fundamental principles of structural reliability, to have an appreciation of some advanced aspects and to demonstrate their application through the solution of a number of realistic problems, both analytically and numerically.
Summary:
The module combines analysis techniques, probabilistics and the application of statistical information in the presentation of concepts associated with the reliability analysis of structures. Material, load, and resistance properties are presented and described. Monte-Carlo and FORM methods of reliability analysis are developed and applied. These are used with the statistical information to analyse realistic tractible structural reliability problems using structural mechanics principles to explore the methodologies.
Outline Of Syllabus
1. Principles of structural reliability – deterministic measures of limit state violation, probabilistic
measures of limit state violation, the generalised reliability problem, basic probabilities, uncertainties in reliability, nominal probability of failure.
2. Integration and simulation methods – Monte Carlo simulation, importance sampling.
3. Second-moment and transformation methods – FOSM, FOR, second-order methods, applications.
4. Reliability of systems – series and parallel systems, system combinations.
5. Safety coefficients – bases of design, safety coefficients, definition and calibration of partial coefficients.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 32:00 | 32:00 | Preparation for in-course summative online assessment (CANVAS quiz) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 2 | 3:00 | 6:00 | Computer-based practical. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 13 | 1:00 | 13:00 | Tutorial and assessment support. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 34 | 1:00 | 34:00 | Studying of lecture notes in conjunction with any background reading |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 15 | 1:00 | 15:00 | Introductions primary module topics. |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Students are expected to learn through guided learning, independent reading and solutions to tutorial problems. They are supported in this by the provision of recorded lectures, an extensive set of notes, and tutorial activities. Learning will be further enhanced through half-day workshops during which the application of computational methods to the solution of structural reliability problems is explored.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer assessment | 1 | M | 100 | 2.5 hr Canvas based test |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | Set approximately mid-way through the teaching block. Feedback given in class to check knowledge and understanding. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The knowledge gained in the module is expected to be an understanding of the principles of structural reliability analysis and the application of those principles to structural engineering applications using an example of commercially available software. The computer assessment is a combination of short questions and a smaller set of more exploratory questions. The short questions are a mix of numerical and written forms that randomly assess the full breadth and content of the module. The longer, exploratory questions are based on numerical studies and computational experiments. AHEP 4 [M1, M2, M3, M9]
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CEG8304's Timetable