STRUCTURAL RELIABILITY OPTIMIZATION USING AN EFFICIENT SAFETY INDEX CALCULATION PROCEDURE

The objective of-this paper is to conduct reliability-based Structural optimization in a multidisciplinary environment. An efficient reliabi lity analysis is developed by expanding the limit functions in terms o f intermediate design variables. The design constraints are approximat ed using multivariate splines in searching for the optimum. The reduct ion in computational cost realized, in safety index calculation and op timization are demonstrated through several structural problems. This paper presents safety index computation, analytical sensitivity analys is of reliability constraints and optimization using truss, frame and plate examples.