ELSEVIER Structural Safety 16 (1994) 1

Guest Editorial

The modern era of structural system reliability began about a quarter of a century ago. Since then many approaches have been used for reliability-based assessment, design and optimization of structural systems.

In 1988 an International Workshop on Research Needs for Applications of System Reliabil- ity Concepts and Techniques in Structural Analysis, Design and Optimization was held at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The objectives were to bring together the accomplishments of the prior decade and to identify research needs in structural system reliability. Selected papers presented at that meeting and the report on research needs were published in a special issue (Vol. 7, Nos. 2-4, 1990) of Structural Safety. Six years have passed since the Boulder meeting. The structural system reliability field has developed considerably in the interim.

In view of the above, several leading experts were invited to present advances in a number of topics related to reliability-based structural system assessment, design and optimization. This special issue contains their contributions.

The guest editors wish to express their appreciation to all who have contributed to this special issue.

Dan M. Frangopol Ross B. Corotis

Guest Editors

Elsevier Science B.V.