Applications of discrete-event simulation to reliability and availability assessment in civil engineering structures

Abstract

This paper discusses the convenience of predicting, quantitatively, time-dependent reliability and availability levels associated with most building or civil engineering structures. Then, the paper reviews different approaches to these problems and proposes the use of discrete-event simulation as the most realistic way to deal with them, specially during the design stage. The paper also reviews previous work on the use of both Monte Carlo simulation and discrete-event simulation in this area and shows how discrete-event simulation, in particular, could be employed to solve uncertainty in time-dependent structural reliability problems. Finally, a case study is developed to illustrate some of the concepts previously covered in the paper.