Reliability sensitivity analysis based on multi-hyperplane combination method

For a nonlinear limit state function, the first-order reliability method (FORM) may cause large errors in the computation of not only the reliability index or failure probability but also the reliability sensitivity. In order to obtain more the accurate results of the reliability sensitivity analysis, a number of hyperplanes are built near the design point by first-order Tayler series expansion, which replace the known nonlinear limit state hypersurface, and an equivalent computational method is utilized to construct an equivalent hyperplane of the obtained hyperplanes. And the reliability sensitivities can be estimated more accurately by the derived equations based on the equivalent hyperplane. An example shows that the method is effective and feasible.