This master’s thesis addresses the significance of partial safety factors within the Eurocode system and their influence on the level of reliability of steel structures. The theoretical background includes a discussion of the concepts of structural reliability, structural safety, and types of uncertainties, with emphasis on the semi-probabilistic approach based on the use of partial safety factors. Different approaches to the assessment of structural reliability are presented, including the risk-based approach, the reliability-based approach, and the standardized Eurocode approach. In the practical part of the thesis, a steel warehouse hall designed in accordance with the applicable European standards is analyzed. A detailed analysis of permanent and variable actions is carried out, including snow and wind loads, and load combinations for the ultimate and serviceability limit states are defined. Based on a deterministic analysis, the most highly utilized structural element is identified, representing the critical failure mechanism. For the selected element, a probabilistic analysis is performed in which the key variables are treated as random variables with normal distributions. Using the limit state function, the reliability index and the probability of failure of the structural element are determined. Furthermore, partial safety factors for materials and actions are calibrated with respect to a target reliability level. The results contribute to a better understanding of the role of partial safety factors and their impact on the safety and economic efficiency of steel structure design.
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