Reliability of the bending resistance of welded beam-to-column joints

This paper deals with the reliability of welded beam-to-column joints designed according to EN 1993-1-8. Based on the set of tests of welded beam-to-column joints, the experimental bending resistance has been obtained. The model’s uncertainty has been evaluated based on the comparison of the theoretical and experimental values of the bending resistance. Limit state equations have been defined for each mode of failure. The reliability index for each component of a joint is evaluated by using FORM, SORM and adaptive sampling. The obtained values of the reliability index of the individual components are discussed, as well as the sensitivity factors of basic variables and sensitivities of the reliability index to the mean value and to standard deviation of basic variables. The probabilistic analysis demonstrated that the component method adopted in EN 1993-1-8 has a high reliability level.