NEWSLETTER News from ASRANet

Keynote papers from invited speakers

The programme will include invited papers whose aim will be to present the main issues relevant to the colloquium themes and application areas, thus providing additional impetus for an open exchange of ideas.

Confirmed keynote papers:

• Deterioration and life-cycle analysis. Professor D Frangopol, University of Colorado, USA
• Stochastic computational mechanics. Professor R Melchers, University of Newcastle, Australia
• State of the art in stochastic load modelling. Professor J Kanda, University of Tokyo, Japan
• How safe is safe enough? Professor R Rackwitz, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Workshops

1. Teaching and communication of risk and reliability, including university level teaching and communication to the public. Chaired by Professor Carlos Guedes Soares , Technical University of Lisbon.
2. Structural Reliability Analysis - does it have a role as an initial design tool or only for reassessment? Developments in reliability methods for direct design. Chair to be confirmed.

Objectives and Themes

The Colloquium will draw on recent experience in order to explore the full range of analytical and computational procedures relevant to stochastic modelling of engineering structures. Another intention is to contribute to the formulation of suitable and well-defined benchmark problems associated with SRA and ASA. Call for papers has now closed and you can now register to attend (contact Dr Nina Baker, n.baker@na-me.ac.uk)

Main themes for the Colloquium are:

• stochastic computational mechanics
• response surface methodology
• stochastic load modelling
• deterioration and life cycle analysis
• modelling of structural systems
• intelligent use of monitored data

Work Starts on Guidelines for Integrating SRA & ASA

The purpose of ASRANet is to foster the integration of Structural Reliability Analysis with Advanced Structural Analysis. To make this aim a reality for industry and academic researchers, the network will be publishing a series of guides.

The first of these will deal with the basics of the integration process- methodologies, software and data handling. This will be in draft form by the new year and sent out for consultation and finalising for publication in June 2002.

We also plan to publish a series of industry-specific guides, written by experts in those industries, but with the non-expert in mind. The following will be in the first batch of publications:

• Pipelines
• Offshore structures
• Ships
• Bridges

If you are interested in being involved with drafting other guidelines, please get in touch with Professor Purnendu Das (email: p.k.das@na-me.ac.uk).