Abstract
It is an urgent task in Japan to revise structural design codes in order to meet the performance-based criteria and the international code harmonization. To do this, a new design code based on the reliability principles has to be developed. This study aims at establishing the partial factor design format for harbor structures. Reliability assessment of existing anchored. sheet pile walls is firstly performed in terms of overall stability and failures of the anchors and the wall, taking account of uncertainty of soil parameters. The first-order reliability method (FORM) is utilized to evaluate the reliability as well as sensitivity of random variables involved. Based on the result thus obtained, partial factors are set within the framework of design value method. Finally, the structure designed based on the proposed partial factors is found to have the same degree of reliability as specified.
