Probabilistic Response Analysis of Cracked Prestressed Concrete Beams

In the response analysis of cracked prestressed concrete beams deterministic procedure is insufficient to provide complete information. Probabilistic analysis is a holistic approach to predicting structural responses considering uncertainties in structural and load parameters. This paper proposes an efficient and accurate algorithm to predict responses of cracked prestressed concrete beams with parameter uncertainties. The proposed algorithm integrates the advantages of the response surface method, section curvature method and Monte Carlo simulation. Uncertainties in the structure and load parameters can be taken into account in this algorithm. The algorithm is verified using the Monte Carlo simulation. The proposed algorithm is then used to predict the response of a simply supported prestressed beam with parameter uncertainties. The results show that neglecting the effect of uncertainty in the prestressing force results in a significant underestimation of response statistics of cracked prestressed concrete beams. Finally, the most influential random variables on the response statistics of cracked prestressed concrete beams are identified by using a sensitivity analysis.