The development of reliability-based design criteria for surface ship structures must consider the following three components:
(1) loads
(2) structural strength
(3) methods of reliability analysis.
A methodology for the reliability-based design of ship structures is provided in this document. The methodology consists of two approaches:
(1) direct based design
(2) load and resistance factor design (LRFD) rules.
According to this methodology, loads can be treated linearly or non-linearly. In assessing structural strength, linear or nonlinear analysis can be used. The reliability assessment and reliability-based design can be performed at several levels of a structural system, including the hull-girder, grillage, panel, plate, and detail levels. A rational treatment of uncertainty is suggested by considering all types of uncertainty. Failure definitions can have significant effects on the assessed reliability or resulting reliability-based designs. A method for defining and classifying failures at the system level is developed, which considers the continuous nature of redundancy in ship structures. A bibliography is provided at the end of this document to facilitate the future implementation of the methodology.