Author Description

Structural engineers are most concerned with the safety aspect of structures. The primary objective of structural engineers is to produce structures which are satisfactory in meeting certain human and societal needs. Moreover, the complexities of many current projects and the increasing attention to existing infrastructures often require reevaluation of structural safety during the lifetime of a particular structure. In so doing, it is necessary to idealize complex natural phenomena. Such idealized models require frequent updating and improvement. The Symposium on Structural Safety Studies is sponsored by the ASCE Structural Division Administrative Committee on Structural Safety and Reliability. The objectives of this Symposium are to introduce relatively new concepts and methods to the structural engineering community, and motivate the audience and reader in knowing more about these subject matters. The topics covered in this Symposium include human errors, random vibration, structural damage, finite-element methods, structural optimization, evaluation of structures, earthquake and wind effects, elastic foundations, design loads, risk assessment, and bridge inspection.