Safety Evaluation of Existing R.C. Buildings: Uncertainties Due to the Location of In Situ Tests

The paper aimed to investigate the influence, on the assessment of the structural safety level of an existing r.c building, of the different choices that the technician in charge of a structural evaluation (the “analyst”) can make regarding the structural elements to be tested to obtain a prescribed level of knowledge. To this end, the case study of a reinforced concrete framed structure built in the 1960s in Italy was investigated by means of numerical analyses. The probability distribution of the estimated safety levels was evaluated in the paper by means of a Monte Carlo approach, considering the alternative selections of elements done by a large number of analysts, and the probability of unsuccessful safety estimations is discussed for the knowledge levels considered in the Italian technical codes and the Eurocodes.