From experiments to design: A probabilistic definition of design formulations from empirical and semi-empirical resistance models

Abstract

The definition of design equations from empirical or semi-empirical resistance models is a matter of relevance for structural engineering. In common practice, the limit states design approach predicts the direct application of partial safety factors to the resistance of the materials in order to obtain design formulations coherent with a prescribed level of reliability. As empirical or semi-empirical models are calibrated, adjusting empirical coefficients to fit a set of experimental data, the application of partial safety factors to material properties alone is not able to provide a correct estimation of structural reliability.
In the present paper, a methodology based on the Monte Carlo method for probabilistic calibration of empirical and semi-empirical resistance models is proposed. Its application related to the probabilistic calibration of the semi-empirical model proposed by fib Model Code 2010 for the estimation of laps and anchorages tensile strength in reinforced concrete structures is reported and discussed.