ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the safety approach in the analysis of strength and stability. When assessing the strength or the stability of structures, the following aspects are of importance: the loads on the structure; the strength properties of the construction material; the geometry of the structure; and the mathematical model for checking the exceedance of the limit state of failure. Directly comparable quantities for loading and strength must be available to a failure analysis. As a consequence, the effects of the different loads acting on the structure are usually converted into one characteristic mathematical quantity B representing the loads, while taking into account the geometry and possibly the deformation behaviour of the structure. Sufficient distance between the probability distributions of B and S can be obtained in various ways in the design stage. The traditional method in soil mechanics adopts mean values for B and S and one overall safety factor.
