PLAYING THE ODDS IN ROCK MECHANICS

Rock engineering involves uncertainties which are large and difficult to quantify. The traditional approach to these uncertainties has been conservatism, and has been satisfactory to the extent that failure rates are reasonably small. Yet, a price is paid for conservatism, and that price is not always small. Today, reliability of such methods, usually under the name "probabilistic design", is controversial. However, if the jingoism of both sides in this controversy is stripped away, it appears that new insights about uncertainty in rock engineering are emerging. For the covering abstract of the symposium see TRIS 452576. (Author/TRRL)

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; References;
  • Pagination: p. 67-85

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00452579
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
  • Files: ITRD, TRIS
  • Created Date: Jul 31 1986 12:00AM