Reliability Based Optimization Using Approximation Concepts

This contribution proposes a new approach to solve the RBO problem using approximation concepts. By constructing local approximations of the failure probabilities, the numerical cost involved in the RBO problem is significantly reduced. The key aspects in the proposed approach are (1) the use of exponential functions to approximate the failure probabilities and (2) the efficient estimation of the sensitivity of the failure probability with respect to the design variables. An application example is addressed in order to analyse the advantages of the proposed approach.