Estimation of coefficient of variation of global resistance in NLNAs of RC structures on the basis of maximum strain of reinforcement

The safety evaluation of existing RC structural systems needs of refined analysis method to assess their actual capacity. In this framework, a relevant effort has been exploited by researchers and code-makers to define appropriate safety formats able to fit the target reliability requirements. The use of the NLNAs for safety assessment process may require high costs in term of time for computing and, for instance, it may result complex to be widely applied in practice. The aim of this work is to propose a method devoted to limit the needed NLNAs to perform the safety verification and, at the same time, give an accurate estimation of design structural resistance. The value of coefficient of variation of global resistance can be derived by fitting equations based on large probabilistic investigation as a function of the maximum strain of reinforcement. The latter can be estimated by NLNA of the RC member using mean values of material properties. The value of the coefficient of variation is useful to assess partial safety factors to be used within the semi-probabilistic method.