Robust and reliability-based design optimization of steel beams

In line with the principles of modern design a building structure should not only be safe but also optimized. In deterministic optimization, the uncertainties of the structures are not explicitly taken into account. Traditionally, uncertainties of the structural system (i.e. material parameters, loads, dimensions of the cross-sections) are considered by means of partial safety factors specified in design codes. Worth noticing, that optimal structures are sensitive to randomness design parameters and deterministic optimal solutions may lead to reduced reliability levels. It therefore seems natural to extend the formulation of deterministic optimization with the random scatter of parameter values. Such a formulation is offered by robust optimization and reliability-based design optimization. The applicability of RBDO is strongly dependent on the availability of the joint probability density function. A formulation of non-deterministic optimization that better adapts to the design realities is robust optimization. Unlike RBDO optimization, this formulation does not require estimation of failure probabilities. In the paper using the examples of steel beams, the authors compare the strengths and weaknesses of both formulations.