Structural reliability in design and analysis of tensile structures

In order to achieve a semi-probabilistic verification format such as used for the analysis of conventional structures in the Eurocodes, research into structural reliability calculations for tensile surface structures is needed. Appropriate partial factors have to be proposed and evaluated. To gain insight, a scholastic example with three cable segments is analysed. In order to ake into account the uncertainties associated to the pre-tensioned system, Latin Hypercube Sampling is applied to sample six main influencing variables. The cable system is designed according to pretension. The structural reliability of both designs is evaluated. An increase of the partial factor for pretension from 1 to 1.35 results in an increase of the reliability index from 2.27 to 5.42