DETERMINISTIČKI I PROBABILISTIČKI PRISTUP U INŽENJERSKOM MODELIRANJU / DETERMINISTIC AND PROBABLIC APPROACH IN ENGINEERING MODELING

Abstract

In modern engineering, making decisions about the safety and durability of structures is a challenge that requires a deep understanding of the nature of materials and loads. Engineering practice has historically relied on firm rules and clearly defined parameters, which we call a deterministic approach. However, working on large infrastructure projects, such as highway construction, reminds us daily that variation is inevitable. Not a single cubic meter of concrete is completely identical to the previous one, nor is the soil beneath the highway route uniform on every meter. It is these variations that impose the need for a probabilistic approach, which does not view the world as a set of fixed numbers, but as a set of probabilities. The aim of this paper is to analyze both approaches, investigating how traditional methods are complemented by modern statistical models in order to optimize costs and increase the safety of road users. Understanding this difference is crucial for every engineer, because it is in this space between theoretical safety and the actual probability of failure that the most important engineering decisions are made.