A utility-based method of design for serviceability is developed and applied to a case study of office floor deflections. Structural design for serviceability is reviewed and surveys of engineers and building developers yield information on the occurrence and evaluation of serviceability problems. A probabilistic utility-based formulation of the serviceability design problem is presented, and design optimization is related to pseudo-limit states and associated serviceability indices appropriate to 'single point' design checks. The case study includes the review and adaptation of stochastic load models, the development of a load-response model to account for random spatial variations of structural properties, and detailed numerical modelling of time-dependent deflections of non-prestressed reinforced-concrete slabs. Results indicate that, for a broad class of serviceability problems, approximately optimal deterministic design criteria are related, in a simple manner, to the 'damage' threshold and a design load associated with a serviceability index of roughly 3.5.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.77148 |
| Date | January 1981 |
| Creators | Reid, Stuart G. (Stuart Grant) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 000139728, proquestno: AAINK58092, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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