A Review on the Current Use of RBD in Geotechnical Design Practice in View of the Next Eurocode 7

In course of the evolution of the next Eurocode 7 CEN TC 250/SC7 Task Group C3 is developing a guideline on reliability-based methods for geotechnical design and assessment. As part of this work, a survey was prepared to identify best practices and examples that could be used for illustration in the guidelines. Beside this, information on possible benefits and limitations of using reliability-based methods in the engineering practice were requested from the participants. The survey was distributed in summer 2021 among the international geotechnical community. The results reveal that the main benefits are seen in the identifi-cation and visualization of uncertainties and risks as well as in the possibilities for design and cost optimization. However, as major limitations an often insufficient data basis but generally a lack of acceptance on the side of the clients and an insufficient knowledge on the side of possible practitioners were identified. Consequently, clear guidance on how to use reliability-based methods and how to implement them in decision processes are needed. The TG C3 guideline therefore is a step in the right direction. On the other hand, integrating methods of reliability analysis in the engineering education already at an early stage is also considered to be important.

Keywords: reliability-based design, Eurocode 7, survey, guideline