This book contains 38 papers presented at the seventh Working Conference on 'Reliability and Optimization of Structural Systems' held at Boulder, Colorado, USA, on April 2-4, 1996. The Working Conference was organized by the IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing) Working Group 7.5 of Technical Committee 7 and was the seventh in a series of similar conferences. The objectives of the Working Group and hence this publication are:

- to promote modern structural systems optimization and reliability theory,
- to advance international co-operation in the field of structural system optimization and reliability theory,
- to stimulate research, development and application of structural system optimization and reliability theory,
- to further dissemination and exchange of information on reliability and optimization of structural systems, and
- to encourage education in structural system organization and reliability theory.

The 6th meeting sponsored by IFIP Working Group 7.5, on reliability and optimization of structural systems, took place in September 1994 in Assisi, Italy. This book contains the papers presented at the working conference including topics such as reliability of special structures, fatigue, failure modes and time-variant systems relibility.

The 6th meeting sponsored by IFIP Working Group 7.5, on reliability and optimization of structural systems, took place in September 1994 in Assisi, Italy. This book contains the papers presented at the working conference including topics such as reliability of special structures, fatigue, failure modes and time-variant systems relibility.

This proceedings volume contains 38 papers presented at the 4th Working Conference on "Rel iability* and Optimization of Structural Systems", held at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, September 11- 13, 1991. The Working Conference was organised by the IFIP (Interna tional Federation for Information Processing) Working Group 7.5 of Technical Committee 7 and was the fourth in a series, following similar conferences held at the University of Aalborg, Den mark, May 1987, at the Imperial College, London, UK, September 1988 and at the University of California, Berkeley, California, USA, March 1990. The Working Conference was attended by 54 participants from 16 countries. The objectives of Working Group 7.5 are: * to promote modern structural systems optimization and reliability theory, * to advance international cooperation in the field of structural system optimization and reliability theory, * to stimulate research, development and application of structural system optimization and reli ability theory, * to further the dissemination and exchange of information on reliability and optimization of structural systems * to encourage education in structural system optimization and reliability theory. At present the members of the Working Group are: A. H.-S. Ang, U.S.A. M. Grimmelt, FRG G. A ugwti, Italy N. C. Lind, Canada M. J. Baker, UK H. O. Mad&en, Denmark P. Bjerager, Norway R. E. Melcher~, Australia C. A. Cornell, U.S.A. F. Mo~e~, U.S.A.