Partial safety factor format for the resistance of structural concrete considering multiple failure modes

In this paper, the applicability of the Partial Safety Factor Format (PSFF) of EN1992-1-1:2004 (Eurocode 2 for Concrete Structures) to the reliability verification of structural concrete resistance involving multiple failure modes is investigated. This is performed by means of an example dealing with the bending resistance of reinforced concrete sections and accounting for different failure regimes. The results show that the PSFF yields to a satisfactory reliability level independently of the regime governing failure. In addition, compared to global safety factor approaches, PSFF has the advantage of achieving better tail approximation of the probability distribution of resistance random variable. Finally, some potential improvements on the assumption of lumping geometric and material uncertainties currently adopted EN1992-1-1:2004 are discussed.