Reliability assessment for the Generalized Slenderness based Resistance Method for circular and elliptical hollow sections

Abstract In the framework of the RFCS project HOLLOSSTAB, a new design method for determining the resistance of hollow section members has been developed. This method links a generalized slenderness, calculated under the effect of the combined loading, to the resistance of the cross‐section and of the member. This so‐called “Generalized Slenderness‐based Resistance Method” (GSRM) has been shown to provide accurate predictions of experimentally and numerically determined resistances of hollow sections. Nonetheless, the real benefit of this new design method could only be evaluated after a conscientiously performed reliability analysis that is presented in this paper. First, the statistical data of the input variables (cross‐section dimensions, material law) obtained through measurements are presented and compared to the assumptions of Annex E of EN 1993‐1‐1:2020. Then, the reliability analysis is outlined. In particular, attention is given to specific problems resulting from the fact that several basic parameters of GSRM have to be determined numerically (for example the critical loads under combined loading). In addition, the sensitivity of the resulting partial factors to assumptions concerning the statistical distribution of the input variables is studied and discussed.