General European Principles of Codes Concerning Reliability

The requirements for reliability cover safety, serviceability and durability and consider different causes and types of failure. They may concern the occurrence of a failure or the duration or number of times of unfitness for the intended use of the structure. The measures to ensure reliability are design, choice of material and protection with regard to durability and quality assurance measures. Design includes choice of structural system and material, dimensioning and detailing. The dimensioning process is discussed. Probabilistic dimensioning methods and the method of partial coefficient are mentioned.