Abstract
An application of probability method to advanced structural design is the treatment of load combination as well as probabilistic modeling of individual loads. Most loads acting on structures are stochastic in nature, and they can be modeled as stochastic processes to account for randomness in time ; i. e. stochastic nature of occurrence, duration and intensity of the loads and combined load actions. Probability method can be utilized to determination of load factors to satisfy the design criteria that reflect stochastic nature of the loads in a rational maner. This paper presents an analytical procedure and solutions of exceedance probability of a threshold being exceeded in a reference period for combinations of a specific class of stochastic process models ; i. e. , Poisson square wave process, rectangular process, intermittent rectangular process and Poisson impulse process. The solutions of exceedance probability provide applicability to practical structural design problems. An application of the solutions to determination of the load factors for use in limit state design is described with numerical examples.
