A generalized Subset Simulation approach for estimating small failure probabilities of multiple stochastic responses

Estimating failure probabilities of multiple stochastic responses using a single run of Subset Simulation remains a challenging task in structural reliability analysis. To address this issue, this study develops a generalized Subset Simulation (GSS) approach, in which a unified intermediate event is defined to drive the simulation procedure progressively approaching multiple failure regions simultaneously. It bypasses the sorting difficulty arising from the multiple stochastic responses. The failure probabilities of multiple stochastic responses are obtained simultaneously by a single run of GSS. Finally, four representative examples are used to demonstrate the efficiency, accuracy and robustness of the proposed GSS approach. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.