Course Details

Reliability and Theory of Material Damage

Academic Year 2025/26

NDB025 course is part of 1 study plan

​ NPC-SIS Winter Semester 2nd year

Course Guarantor

prof. Ing. Drahomír Novák, DrSc.

Institute

Institute of Structural Mechanics

Language of instruction

Czech

Credits

5 credits

Semester

winter

Forms and criteria of assessment

course-unit credit and examination

Offered to foreign students

Not to offer

Course on BUT site

https://www.vut.cz/en/students/courses/detail/295813

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  • 1. Introduction of reliability theory, reliability background of standards for structural design (Eurocodes), structural resistance and load action as two independent random variables, reliability condition, reserve of reliability.
  • 2. Limit states and philosophy of design by standards; Reliability standards: theoretical failure probability, reliability index.
  • 3. Numerical simulation method Monte Carlo in applications.
  • 4. Computation model, model uncertainty, grosses errors.
  • 5. Numerical simulation methods Latin Hypercube Sampling, Importace Sampling in applications, FORM, SORM approximation methods.
  • 6. Random process and random fields – Stochastic finite element methods and these applications.
  • 7. Probabilistic optimization, problems of life-time of structures.
  • 8. Linear elastic fracture mechanic - used of statistics and sensitivity analysis; verification and calibration of standards; design procedures.
  • 9. Modeling of failure process in concrete structures; Fictive crack model, Fictive crack model and rotate crack model.
  • 10. Reliability of the elements made of quasi-brittle materials, computations in ATENA code.

Exercise

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  • 1. Recapitulation of probability and statistics using simple examples.
  • 2. Examples on usage of Cornell reliability index.
  • 3. Simple example to learn Monte Carlo simulation method using Excel.
  • 4. Calculations of failure probability via Latin Hypercube Sampling in Excel.
  • 5. More complex examples on simulation methods using Excel.
  • 6. Linear elastic fracture mechanics, simple calculations.
  • 7.–9. Finite element method software Atena, creation of computational model.
  • 10. Randomization of Atena model through Sara studio.