Fuzzy Numbers Applied in Reliability Assessment of Unreinforced Masonry Shear Wall

In order to have safe and economy construction, different sources of uncertainty should be properly characterized and considered in structural design and verification. A reliability analysis is run to assess the consistency of design process, including the uncertainty. A full probabilistic approach is an appropriate means in considering the aleatory portion of uncertainty. In dealing with epistemic uncertainty in reliability analysis, modern mathematical tools like fuzzy logic is required. The non-deterministic design in a case study on Unreinforced Masonry shear Wall (URMW) by applying fuzzy numbers has performed. Instead of uncertain deterministic data of material strength, a range of possible numbers in the form of fuzzy numbers introduced to the model, considering the experiences and the expert knowledge. The predicted capacity which is fuzzy number provide more insight into behavior of URMW. Moreover, the study on significant influence of each variable on the ultimate capacity of URMW is easier. Several reliability analysis are run using only stochastic method with using fuzzy numbers. The effect of model uncertainty on assessed reliability is highlighted. The distinction between linear and non-linear application of partial safety factors is assessed. The result illustrate the fluctuation of reliability level of URMW for a wide range of applied normal force and different materials.