Systematic derivation of safety factors for the fatigue design of steel bridges

This paper presents a probabilistic framework to derive the safety factors for fatigue of steel and composite steel concrete road bridges. Engineering models are used for the design and the safety factor is derived in such a way that the design meets the target reliability set by international Eurocode and ISO standards, estimated using measured...

Partial safety factors for berthing velocity and loads on marine structures

Design methods for marine structures have evolved into load and resistance factor design, however existing partial safety factors related to berthing velocity and loads have not been verified and validated by measurement campaigns. In this study, field observations of modern seagoing vessels berthing in Bremerhaven, Rotterdam and Wilhelmshaven...

The long and winding road to a just culture

Assessing the statistical properties and underlying model structure of fifteen safety constructs

Background. Organisations spend a considerable amount of time and effort on diagnosing and analysing risks within their organisation. In the area of occupational and process safety, a myriad of employee survey instruments is available. Many studies show that operational processes play an important role in an organisations overall safety. Yet, so...

Maintenance implications of critical components in ITER CXRS upper port plug design

Already in the early phase of a design for ITER, the maintenance aspects should be taken into account, since they might have serious implications. This paper presents the arguments in support of the case for the maintainability of the design, notably if this maintenance is to be performed by advanced remote methods. This structure is compliant...

FEP Analysis and Markov Chains

Uncertainties related with underground CO2 storage play a vital role in risk assessment with respect to Carbon storage and capture projects (CCS). The main purpose of risk assessment is to determine a qualitative and quantitative picture of hazardous processes or events. One makes a comprehensive inventory of risk factors, and stores the results...

Lifetime of piezoceramic multilayer actuators: Interplay of material properties and actuator design

We report an investigation into factors limiting the functional lifetime of multilayer piezoceramic actuators. The study consists of a combination of lifetime experiments by means of an accelerated lifetime test, inspection of the actuator microstructure at different stages of the accelerated lifetime test, and numerical simulation of the...

Single-vehicle collisions in Europe: Analysis using real-world and crash-test data

Many European road casualties result from vehicles leaving the road, often impacting roadside obstacles. As part of the European Commission-funded project RISER (Roadside Infrastructure for Safer European Roads), several activities were undertaken to collate the type of real world crash data which is needed to understand single vehicle crash...

The effect of a participative product design process on user performance

The use of hand tools can lead to accidents, overexertion injuries and discomfort. So, there is certainly room for better-designed hand tools, especially hand tools that contribute to better performance. In the literature, the benefits of a participative product design approach are clearly shown. However, the effect of this approach is hardly...

Quantifying the economic benefit of groundwater monitoring: A pilot study

Usually the design of the monitoring system is based on the relation between the monitoring effort and the uncertainty of the information. Often the estimation error standard deviation is used as a criterion for the design. Despite the fact that, for scientists, the standard deviation as a measure of uncertainty is a logical criterion, water...

Level III Reliability methods feasible for complex structures

The paper describes the comparison between three types of reliability methods: code type level I used by a designer, full level I and a level III method. Two cases that are typical for civil engineering practise, a cable-stayed subjected to traffic load and the installation of a soil retaining sheet pile wall, have been analysed with the three...

Extended occupant safety through virtual testing: Objectives of the European project VITES

Increasingly stringent international passenger safety norms and the need to reduce vehicle body weight for environmental and protection requirements demand efficient and innovative design methods. Computer simulation, or virtual testing, allows an integrated evaluation of these aspects in the early design stages and thereby reduces costs for...

Structural adhesive bonded joints in engineering. Drafting design rules

This paper introduces methods to draw up design rules to calculate the resistance of adhesive bonded joints for structural

Speed choice and steering behavior in curve driving

The relation between speed choice and steering performance during curve negotiation was studied in a driving simulator. The hypothesis was that curve radius and steering competence both affect steering error during curve driving, resulting in compensatory speed choice. In this, the control of safety margins was assumed to operate as a regulatory...