Current revision of the fundamental Eurocode for design of civil engineering structures

The present, globally-applicable revision of the fundamental EN 1990 Eurocode for the design of buildings and civil engineering structures is briefly summarised. General requirements are further elaborated with respect to structural resistance, serviceability and durability. In addition, provisions for robustness, sustainability and fire safety are included. An appropriate level of structural reliability should consider the consequences and possible causes of failure, public aversion and costs associated with reducing the risk of failure. However, the choice concerning the reliability level is left to national interpretation. The target reliability indexes are indicated for one-year and 50-year reference period, with no explicit link to the design working life being provided in the final draft of prEN 1990. It is proposed that the consequences of structural failure be organised into five categories; however, without providing recommendations on the target reliability indices for the lowest and highest consequence class. Supplementary guidance on structural robustness is proposed in prEN 1990, Annex E. A structure should have a sufficient level of robustness that it will not be damaged to an extent disproportional to the original cause. The working life design should be considered for time-dependent performance of the structures. Ultimate and serviceability limit states should be verified for all relevant design situations. Apart from the commonly-used partial factor method, which comprises a basic method for structural verification, additional guidance is also given for application of non-linear methods. The partial factors have been newly-calibrated with the aim of achieving a more balanced reliability level for structures from different materials and loading effects.