RESIDUAL SERVICE LIFE ESTIMATION USING DAMAGE ACCUMULATION MODELS

摘要

Service life modelling of timber structures is combined with damage accumulation models in order to capture the combined effect of long term loads (mechanical) and biological of physical wood degradation. The combined model allows for the estimation of residual service life and an analysis of safety factors that may need to be applied. Also, a sensitivity analysis can be performed for future risks. It is shown that the accumulation of damage is very sensitive to the applied models and that failure in timber structures occurs within a very short time frame. A number of practical cases are shown.