First-excursion problems for Gaussian vector processes

The use of more sophisticated load and structural models is increasingly demanded in order to reflect the effects of load-structure interaction more realistically in structural reliability analysis, particularly when dealing with such risk-sensitive systems as nuclear power plant structures. Under the assumptions that the linear structural response analysis is acceptable and that the underlying random processes are Gaussian, the present study demonstrates (1) how a structural reliability analysis can accommodate some of the more realistic limit state conditions, particularly hyper-polyhedral and hyper-spherical limit state conditions in terms of stress, (2) how a finite element analysis can be incorporated into the reliability analysis to be performed under these limit state conditions, and (3) how the random process idealization of loading conditions can be used in the dynamic structural reliability analysis in conjunction with such limit state conditions, by taking the earthquake ground acceleration process as an example.