Nonprobabilistic time-dependent reliability analysis for uncertain structures under interval process loads

Abstract

In this paper, a novel nonprobabilistic analysis framework is proposed to evaluate the time-dependent reliability of uncertain structures under time-varying loads. Firstly, a novel uncertainty propagation method is developed by combining interval process integration and surrogate-based interval analysis and the correlation coefficient between responses of adjacent time steps is further analyzed. Subsequently, the nonprobabilistic time-dependent reliability is analyzed base on the first-passage theory and the established interval model. Unlike existing nonprobabilistic methods that consider time-invariant external loads, the proposed method applies an interval process to describe time-varying external loads, thereby offering a broader range of applicability. Compared to existing nonprobabilistic methods that consider time-varying loads, the proposed method establishes a more refined nonprobabilistic time-dependent reliability model based on the first passage theory, achieving higher accuracy. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method are validated through a numerical example and an engineering application.