Response Surface Method strategies coupled with NLFEA for structural reliability analysis of prestressed bridges

The Response Surface Method (RSM) has become an essential tool to solve structural reliability problems due to its accuracy, efficacy, and facility for coupling with Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis (NLFEA). In this paper, some strategies to improve the RSM efficacy without compromising its accuracy are tested. Initially, each strategy is implemented to assess the safety level of a highly nonlinear explicit limit state function. The strategy with the best results is then identified and used to carry out a reliability analysis of a prestressed concrete bridge, considering the nonlinear material behavior through NLFEA simulation. The calculated value of β is compared with the target value established in Eurocode for ULS. The results showed how RSM can be a practical methodology and how the improvements presented can reduce the computational cost of a traditional RSM giving a good alternative to simulation methods such as Monte Carlo.