Decomposition algorithms for system reliability estimation with applications to interdependent lifeline networks

Abstract

Reliability and risk assessment of lifeline systems call for efficient methods that integrate hazard and interdependencies. Such methods are computationally challenged when the probabilistic response of systems is tied to multiple events, as performance quantification requires a large catalog of ground motions. Available methods to address this issue use catalog reductions and importance sampling. However, besides comparisons against baseline Monte Carlo trials in select cases, there is no guarantee that such methods will perform or scale well in practice. This paper proposes a new efficient method for reliability assessment of interdependent lifeline systems, termed RAILS, that considers systemic performance and is particularly effective when dealing with large catalogs of events. RAILS uses the state‐space partition method to estimate systemic reliability with theoretical bounds and, for the first time, supports cyclic interdependencies among lifeline systems. Recycling computations across an entire seismic catalog with RAILS considerably reduces the number of system performance evaluations in seismic performance studies. Also, when performance estimate bounds are not tight, we adopt an importance and stratified sampling method that in our computational experiments is various orders of magnitude more efficient than crude Monte Carlo. We assess the efficiency of RAILS using synthetic networks and illustrate its application to quantify the seismic risk of realistic yet streamlined systems hypothetically located in the San Francisco Bay Region.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 16, 2018
Source ID
10.1002/eqe.3071

Entities

People

  • Isaac Hernandez‐fajardo
  • Leonardo Dueñas‐osorio
  • Roger Paredes

Organizations

  • Rice University
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Seismology
  • Women's Health and Cancer Risk Research: African American Women and Pregnancy Outcomes.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Space Objects