Reliability-Based Partial Factors Considering Spatial Variability of Strength Parameters

The stability of six regional dyke cross-sections in the Netherlands was re-assessed using the random finite element method (RFEM), which explicitly accounts for the spatial variability of strength parameters. The RFEM assessments of the cross-sections were shown to result in significantly narrower response distributions than those obtained by ignoring the spatial variability, and therefore would result in more economical designs. Given the complexity of RFEM for applications in daily engineering practice, the results obtained from the re-assessments of the six dyke cross-sections were used to propose partial factors that can be used in practice to achieve the desired reliability levels for regional dykes. When applied in a conventional semi-probabilistic assessment of a dyke cross-section, these partial factors would result in the same level of reliability as would have been obtained by carrying out an RFEM analysis of the same cross-section.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Geo-engineerin