Discussion

摘要

Discussion of 'Structural reliability theory in the context of structural safety' by R. E. Melchers, Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems, Volume 24, Number 1, March 2007, pp. 55-69. This paper by Professor Melchers attempts to relate the measures of safety in structural reliability theory to the actual probability of failure of systems that include structures. Essentially the broader picture employs the probability of failure as justified by experience, whereas the structural reliability is treated as a notional matter. In both cases the approach is through the thinking of systems analysis and it is anticipated that the broader system should encompass the individual structure and that the two measures, probability of failure and structural reliability, should be related. The paper provides a plausible connection between the two.