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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/M46112/01
Title: VULNERABILITY AND RELIABILITY OF STRUCTURES
Principal Investigator: Blockley, Professor D
Other Investigators:
Woodman, Dr N
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Maunsell Ltd
Department: Civil Engineering
Organisation: University of Bristol
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 13 February 1999 Ends: 12 February 2002 Value (£): 151,451
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Civil Engineering Materials
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
There is as yet no accepted underlying theory to aid the design of robust systems. There is a need for a theory of vulnerability to identify when small perturbations to a system, say local damage, might lead to disproportionate consequences. One of the objectives of this proposal is to refine and develop a 2-dimensional theory of structural vulnerability for static structures, which has been developed at the University of Bristol, into a theory of vulnerability applicable to 3-dimensional structures with static and dynamic behaviour. Structural vulnerability theory is a theory about the well-formedness of a structure. It is based on a systems approach to structural integrity to ensure safety and reliability of structures. It enables the identifications of failure scenarios which are weak links. Methods of uncertainty analysis useful for risk management will also be incorporated into the theory. The work builds upon an existing EPSRC ROPA award (GR/K 87692) which is leading to a generalisation of vulnerability concepts for a wide range of networked systems, for example electrical, hydraulic and traffic control systems. Two of the important deliverables will be a computer programme for applying the theory with a set of worked examples of its use suitable for practising engineers.
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Organisation Website: http://www.bris.ac.uk