Machine learning-enhanced Monte Carlo and subset simulations for advanced risk assessment in transportation infrastructure

The maintenance of safety and dependability in rail and road embankments is of utmost importance in order to facilitate the smooth operation of transportation networks.This study introduces a comprehensive methodology for soil slope stability evaluation,employing Monte Carlo Simulation(MCS)and Subset Simulation(SS)with the"UPSS 3.0 Add-in"in MS-Excel.Focused on an 11.693-meter embankment with a soil slope(inclination ratio of 2H:1V),the investigation considers earthquake coefficients(kh)and pore water pressure ratios(ru)following Indian zoning requirements.The chance of slope failure showed a considerable increase as the Coefficient of Variation(COV),seismic coefficients(kh),and pore water pressure ratios(ru)experienced an escalation.The SS approach showed exceptional efficacy in calculating odds of failure that are notably low.Within computational modeling,the study optimized the worst-case scenario using ANFIS-GA,ANFIS-GWO,ANFIS-PSO,and ANFIS-BBO models.The ANFIS-PSO model exhibits exceptional accuracy(training R2=0.9011,RMSE=0.0549;testing R2=0.8968,RMSE=0.0615),emerging as the most promising.This study highlights the significance of conducting thorough risk assessments and offers practical insights into evaluating and improving the stability of soil slopes in transportation infrastructure.These findings contribute to the enhancement of safety and reliability in real-world situations.

Random dynamic analysis of vertical train–bridge systems under small probability by surrogate model and subset simulation with splitting

The response of the train–bridge system has an obvious random behavior.A high traffic density and a long maintenance period of a track will result in a substantial increase in the number of trains running on a bridge,and there is small likelihood that the maximum responses of the train and bridge happen in the total maintenance period of the track.Firstly,the coupling model of train–bridge systems is reviewed.Then,an ensemble method is presented,which can estimate the small probabilities of a dynamic system with stochastic excitations.The main idea of the ensemble method is to use the NARX(nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input)model to replace the physical model and apply subset simulation with splitting to obtain the extreme distribution.Finally,the efficiency of the suggested method is compared with the direct Monte Carlo simulation method,and the probability exceedance of train responses under the vertical track irregularity is discussed.The results show that when the small probability of train responses under vertical track irregularity is estimated,the ensemble method can reduce both the calculation time of a single sample and the required number of samples.

Reliability analysis of small failure probability based on subset simulation method

In the engineering.to ensure the quality and safety,it is necessary to carry out reliability analysis on it.When conducting reliability analysis in engineering.a 1arge rumber of small1 failure probability problems will be encountered.For such problems,the traditional Monte Carlo method needs a 1ot of samples,and the calculation efficiency is extremely 1ow,while the subset sinmulation method can efficiently estimate the relLability index of the small failure probability problem with litle samples.Therefore,this paper takes the application of the subset simulation method in the reliability analysis of the small failure probability structure as the object,constructs the reliability analysis method of the single failure mode of the system and applies the method to a mathematical example and a single-story gate.Through the rigid frame example,it can be seen that this method is beneficial to improve the calculation efficiency and accuracy.

Sensitivity of Sample for Simulation-Based Reliability Analysis Methods

In structural reliability analysis,simulation methods are widely used.The statistical characteristics of failure probability estimate of these methods have been well investigated.In this study,the sensitivities of the failure probability estimate and its statistical characteristics with regard to sample,called‘contribution indexes’,are proposed to measure the contribution of sample.The contribution indexes in four widely simulation methods,i.e.,Monte Carlo simulation(MCS),importance sampling(IS),line sampling(LS)and subset simulation(SS)are derived and analyzed.The proposed contribution indexes of sample can provide valuable information understanding the methods deeply,and enlighten potential improvement of methods.It is found that the main differences between these investigated methods lie in the contribution indexes of the safety samples,which are the main factors to the efficiency of the methods.Moreover,numerical examples are used to validate these findings.

Experimental Design of Measuring Soil-Water Characteristic Curve of Unsaturated Soil Using Bayesian Approach

Soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) is significant to estimate the site-specific unsaturated soil properties (such as unsaturated shear strength and coefficient of permeability) for geotechnical analyses involving unsaturated soils. Determining SWCC can be achieved by fitting data points obtained according to the prescribed experimental scheme, which is specified by the number of measuring points and their corresponding values of the control variable. The number of measuring points is limited since direct measurement of SWCC is often costly and time-consuming. Based on the limited number of measuring points, the estimated SWCC is unavoidably associated with uncertainties, which depends on measurement data obtained from the prescribed experimental scheme. Therefore, it is essential to plan the experimental scheme so as to reduce the uncertainty in the estimated SWCC. This study presented a Bayesian approach, called OBEDO, for probabilistic experimental design optimization of measuring SWCC based on the prior knowledge and information of testing apparatus. The uncertainty in estimated SWCC is quantified and the optimal experimental scheme with the maximum expected utility is determined by Subset Simulation optimization (SSO) in candidate experimental scheme space. The proposed approach is illustrated using an experimental design example given prior knowledge and the information of testing apparatus and is verified based on a set of real loess SWCC data, which were used to generate random experimental schemes to mimic the arbitrary arrangement of measuring points during SWCC testing in practice. Results show that the arbitrary arrangement of measuring points of SWCC testing is hardly superior to the optimal scheme obtained from OBEDO in terms of the expected utility. The proposed OBEDO approach provides a rational tool to optimize the arrangement of measuring points of SWCC test so as to obtain SWCC measurement data with relatively high expected utility for uncertainty reduction.

Optimization of the Number and Location of Boreholes for Gassy Soil Site Investigation Considering the Statistical Uncertainty

The research addresses the prevalence of gassy soil, containing methane (CH4), within the soil particles of southeast coastal areas of China, such as the Quaternary deposit in the Hangzhou Bay area. This soil exhibits spatial variability in the distribution of gas pressure, posing a potential threat of engineering disasters, including fire outbreaks and blasting, during the construction of underground projects. Consequently, it is crucial to assess the risk state of gas pressure, involving accurate identification and reduction of associated uncertainty, through site investigation. This is indispensable prior to the commencement of underground projects. However, during the site investigation stage, the random field parameters that quantify the spatial variability distribution of gas pressure (e.g., mean value, standard deviations, and scale of fluctuation) are unknown, introducing corresponding statistical uncertainty. Therefore, the most significant consideration for planning site investigation from an engineering perspective involves determining the risk state of gas pressure while considering the statistical uncertainty of these random field parameters. This consideration heavily relies on the engineering experience gained from current site investigation practices. To address this challenge, the study introduces a probabilistic site investigation optimization method designed for planning the site investigation scheme for gassy soils, including determining the number and locations of boreholes. The method is based on the expected state-identification probability, representing the probability of identifying the risk state of gas pressure, and takes into account the statistical uncertainty of random field parameters. The proposed method aims to determine an optimal investigation scheme before conducting the site investigation, leveraging prior knowledge. This optimal scheme is identified using Subset Simulation Optimization (SSO) in the space of candidate site investigations, maximizing the value of the expected state-identification probability at the minimal value point. Finally, the paper illustrates the proposed approach through a case study.

Assessment of piloting behavior impact on landing risk of transport aircraft

The human factors and their interaction with other factors play an important role in the flight safety of transport aircraft.In this paper,a paradigm of risk assessment for transport aircraft interacting with piloting behaviors is proposed,with focus on landing which is the most accident-prone flight stage in aviation safety statistics.Model-based flight simulation serves as our data source for landing risk analysis under uncertainties.A digital pilot in the loop that reflects the human piloting behaviors is employed to facilitate simulation efficiency.Eight types of unsafe events in landing are identified from statistics.On this basis,the landing safety boundary is extracted via stochastic simulation to divide safety and hazardous flight status domains,which con-tributes to flight status management and risk warning.The simulation results indicate that appro-priate piloting behavior,which is active response and fast target acquisition with minimum overshoot and fluctuation,shows benefit to landing safety.The subset simulation technique is employed to further refine the boundary with less computational workload.Furthermore,the effect of airspeed,windspeed,and other factors on landing risk is also discussed.The proposed risk assess-ment method would help optimize operation procedure and develop targeted pilot training program.

A novel global optimization method of truss topology

This paper proposes a global topology optimization algorithm based on subset simulation for the singular optimum problem subject to stress constraints of trusses. The constraints are handled by a fitness function which reflects their degree of violation. The rational and global topology results are guaranteed by the judgment of the samples’ rationality and the Metropolis-Hasting algorithm. Three examples show that the established method can quickly reduce the searching region to the feasible region and converge to the global optimum precisely enough for the singular optimum problem.