Effect of strength-modulus correlation on reliability of randomly heterogeneous beams. (Q1430821)

The authors deal with the effect of local strength-modulus correlation (SMC) on strength relability by means of functional perturbation methods (FPM). The reliability is composed of three contributions (the calculation for a homogeneous beam with average properties, the correction corresponding to beam heterogeneity for non-correlated strength-moduli, and a specific SMC effect, which adds up to the final estimation). Basic relations needed tor the FPM analysis are given, and strength of hyperstatic heterogeneous beams as well as the behaviour in limit cases are put in evidence. The effect of stiffness heterogeneity reveals a complex nonlinear interaction between material morphology, local strength-stiffness correlation and loading geometry. Three selected load distributions are considered, and numerical results are plotted into diagrams. The need to develop new design tools for stochastically heterogeneous materials is thus emphasized.