Course syllabus

This course is offered by the Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences

• Examiner and Lecturer: Wengang Mao

     Phone: 031–772 1483; E-mail: Wengang.Mao@chalmers.se

• Tutorials, Computer excercises and Assignments:

Course purpose and learning objectives

The course gives the student knowledge and tools how to design marine structures with regard to limit state based approaches by means of probability and risk analysis approaches. A variety of simplistic and advanced methodologies are compared with objective to demonstrate their advantages and limitations. Realistic and typical examples for marine structures are used throughout the course in order to introduce the student to real examples with their challenges of complexity which require solid and well-motivated assumptions.

After finishing the course, the student will have good knowledge and understanding how a reliability analysis of a marine structure should be carried out. After completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• use and interpret classification rules in order to design marine structures according to given design criteria and safety measures,
• carry out a reliability analysis of a part of a ship or an offshore structure,
• demonstrate which is the most appropriate methodology to use in a reliability analysis of an arbitrary part of a marine structure,
• understand and discuss the advantages and limitations using a FORM, SORM and other simulation method for probabilistic analysis,
• and critically evaluate and compare various design concepts with respect to reliability and safety measures.

Course literature

-Tutorial examples, Tutorials-R computer exercises and Assignments will be handed out on the first lecture (free of charge).
-One old written exam with solutions will be handed out to the students.
-Ditlevsen, O. and Madsen, H.O. (2005). Structural Reliability Methods (online reference).

Course design

The following types of scheduled activities are used in the course (room within parenthesis): 

• Lecture & Tutorial:presentation of theory with reference to chapters in the compendium, and examples suitable for hand calculations.
• Computer exercises: These occasions are “warm-ups” for the Assignments. Active participation and preparations in advance is strongly recommended!
• Assignments: practical engineering projects.

Examination

A passed course gives the student 7.5 hp. The examination is performed by a mandatory written exam and through the three project assignments (report and presentation seminar). The three assignments and participation on the presentation seminar during study week 8 are mandatory. Note that all the three assignments (report and presentation) must have been approved before the written exam! The grading is performed solely by the written exam (Bonus points from the assignments will be added to the score of the written examination!).

The written examination takes place on January 11, 2024.

• The student is allowed to bring the compendium to the exam. Some minor notes in the compendium are allowed, however, additional papers with notes are NOT allowed.
• Any electronic calculator is allowed.
• The written exam consists of a theory part (10 points) and three problems to be solved (5 points each). Hence, the maximum number of points on the exam is 25 points.
• . The different grades given are (sum of points on the exam: grade): 0 – 14: Fail of exam;15 – 19: 3; 20 – 25: 4; 26 – 30:5.