ABSTRACT
Approximations, errors and open questions in probabilistic structural engineering Engineers’ calculations are always performed on muchsimplified models of the real world. Safety factors and other empirical devices have always been used to warrant a satisfactory degree of safety notwithstanding such approximations: the introduction of probabilistic approaches, as so far illustrated in this book, has done much in order to make such devices more rational, but not all problems have been solved, and a great deal of empiricism is still necessary to overcome uncertainties in practical applications.
