Overview on Bnl Assessment of Seismic Analysis Methods for Deeply Embedded Npp Structures.

A study was performed by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under the sponsorship of the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), to determine the applicability of established soil-structure interaction analysis methods and computer programs to deeply embedded and/or buried (DEB) nuclear power plant (NPP) structures. This paper provides an overview of the BNL study including a description and discussions of analyses performed to assess relative performance of various SSI analysis methods typically applied to NPP structures, as well as the importance of interface modeling for DEB structures. There are four main elements contained in the BNL study: (1) Review and evaluation of existing seismic design practice, (2) Assessment of simplified vs. detailed methods for SSI in-structure response spectrum analysis of DEB structures, (3) Assessment of methods for computing seismic induced earth pressures on DEB structures, and (4) Development of the criteria for benchmark problems which could be used for validating computer programs for computing seismic responses of DEB NPP structures. The BNL study concluded that the equivalent linear SSI methods, including both simplified and detailed approaches, can be extended to DEB structures and produce acceptable SSI response calculations, provided that the SSI response induced by the ground motion is very much within the linear regime or the non-linear effect is not anticipated to control the SSI response parameters. The BNL study also revealed that the response calculation is sensitive to the modeling assumptions made for the soil/structure interface and application of a particular material model for the soil

Correlation of analysis with high level vibration test results for primary coolant piping

Dynamic tests on a modified 1/2.5-scale model of pressurized water reactor (PWR) primary coolant piping were performed using a large shaking table at Tadotsu, Japan. The High Level Vibration Test (HLVT) program was part of a cooperative study between the United States (Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Brookhaven National Laboratory, NRC/BNL) and Japan (Ministry of International Trade and Industry/Nuclear Power Engineering Center). During the test program, the excitation level of each test run was gradually increased up to the limit of the shaking table and significant plastic strains, as well as cracking, were induced in the piping. To fully utilize the test results, NRC/BNL sponsored a project to develop corresponding analytical predictions for the nonlinear dynamic response of the piping for selected test runs. The analyses were performed using both simplified and detailed approaches. The simplified approaches utilize a linear solution and an approximate formulation for nonlinear dynamic effects such as the use of a deamplification factor. The detailed analyses were performed using available nonlinear finite element computer codes, including the MARC, ABAQUS, ADINA and WECAN codes. A comparison of various analysis techniques with the test results shows a higher prediction error in the detailed strain values in the overall response values. A summary of the correlation analyses was presented before the BNL. This paper presents a detailed description of the various analysis results and additional comparisons with test results

Nonlinear Seismic Correlation Analysis of the JNES/NUPEC Large-Scale Piping System Tests.

The Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization/Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (JNES/NUPEC) large-scale piping test program has provided valuable new test data on high level seismic elasto-plastic behavior and failure modes for typical nuclear power plant piping systems. The component and piping system tests demonstrated the strain ratcheting behavior that is expected to occur when a pressurized pipe is subjected to cyclic seismic loading. Under a collaboration agreement between the US and Japan on seismic issues, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)/Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) performed a correlation analysis of the large-scale piping system tests using derailed state-of-the-art nonlinear finite element models. Techniques are introduced to develop material models that can closely match the test data. The shaking table motions are examined. The analytical results are assessed in terms of the overall system responses and the strain ratcheting behavior at an elbow. The paper concludes with the insights about the accuracy of the analytical methods for use in performance assessments of highly nonlinear piping systems under large seismic motions

Evaluation of Simplified Methods for Estimating Shear Capacity Using JNES/NUPEC Low-Rise Concrete Shear Wall Cyclic Test Data.

The simplified methods in current codes for determining the shear capacity of reinforced concrete shear walls had mostly been validated using the test results of single-element shear walls. Recently available JNES/NUPEC test data of reinforced concrete shear walls under multi-directional cyclic loadings provided a unique opportunity to investigate the adequacy of the simplified methods for use in situations with strong interaction effects. A total of 11 test specimens with aspect ratios between 0.47 and 0.87 have been used in the assessment. Two simplified methods from the ACI 349-01 standard [1] and one from the ASCE 43-05 standard [2] have been evaluated. This paper also presents the development of an adjustment factor to consider the aspect ratio and the development of two approaches to consider interaction effects for one of the simplified methods. It concludes with the insights on the applicability of the code methods when interaction effects exist

Finite element analyses for seismic shear wall international standard problem

Two identical reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls, which consist of web, flanges and massive top and bottom slabs, were tested up to ultimate failure under earthquake motions at the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation`s (NUPEC) Tadotsu Engineering Laboratory, Japan. NUPEC provided the dynamic test results to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) for use as an International Standard Problem (ISP). The shear walls were intended to be part of a typical reactor building. One of the major objectives of the Seismic Shear Wall ISP (SSWISP) was to evaluate various seismic analysis methods for concrete structures used for design and seismic margin assessment. It also offered a unique opportunity to assess the state-of-the-art in nonlinear dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete shear wall structures under severe earthquake loadings. As a participant of the SSWISP workshops, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) performed finite element analyses under the sponsorship of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Three types of analysis were performed, i.e., monotonic static (push-over), cyclic static and dynamic analyses. Additional monotonic static analyses were performed by two consultants, F. Vecchio of the University of Toronto (UT) and F. Filippou of the University of California at Berkeley (UCB). The analysis results by BNL and the consultants were presented during the second workshop in Yokohama, Japan in 1996. A total of 55 analyses were presented during the workshop by 30 participants from 11 different countries. The major findings on the presented analysis methods, as well as engineering insights regarding the applicability and reliability of the FEM codes are described in detail in this report. 16 refs., 60 figs., 16 tabs

Understanding earthquake design criteria used in Japan

This paper summarizes the current earthquake design criteria used in Japan for nuclear power plants. Information is presented on the codes and standards and seismic requirements for reactor buildings and containment structures. The most interesting features of the earthquake design criteria used in Japan, in the light of those used in the United States, are summarized

PVP2004-2906 AN ASSESSMENT OF SIMPLIFIED VS. DETAILED METHODOLOGIES FOR SSl ANALYSES OF DEEPLY EMBEDDED STRUCTURES

ABSTRACT Sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is carrying out a research program to develop a technical basis to support the safety evaluation of deeply embedded and/or buried (DEB) structures as proposed for advanced reactor designs. In this program, the methods and computer programs established for the assessment of soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects for the current generation of light water reactors are evaluated to determine their applicability and adequacy in capturing the seismic behavior of DEB structures. This paper presents an assessment of the simplified vs. detailed methodologies for seismic analyses of DEB structures. In this assessment, a lump-mass beam model is used for the simplified approach and a finite element representation is employed for the detailed method. A typical containment structure embedded in a soil profde representative of a typical nuclear power plant site was utilized, considering various embedment depths from shallow to full burial. BNL used the CARES program for the simplified model and the SASSI2000 program for the detailed analyses. The calculated response spectra at the key locations of the DEB structure are used for the performance assessment of the applied methods for different depths of burial. Included in the paper are: 1) the description of both the simplified and detailed models for the SSI analyses of the DEB structure, 2) the comparison of the analysis results for the different depths of burial between the two methods, and 3) the performance assessment of the analysis methodologies for SSI analyses of DEB structures. The resulting assessment from this study has indicated that simplified methods may be capable of capturing the seismic response for much deeper embedded structures than would be normally allowed by the standard practice

Proceedings of PVP2005 2005 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Division Conference The Significance of Nonlinear Characteristics on the Seismic Induced Pressures of Deeply Embedded NPP Structures

ABSTRACT The conventional approach for treating the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect is to apply various linear methodologies (e.g., substructure and direct methods). In the absence of any major nonlinear effect, linear methodology is sufficient to capture the SSI response parameters. However, for situations where structures are deeply embedded and/or buried (DEB) below grade and a sizeable inertial effect must be considered, the nonlinearity induced by the interaction at the soil/structure interface may potentially influence the SSI response. This is especially true for the seismic induced soil pressures. The effect of such nonlinear characteristics on SSI methodologies should be assessed to determine the extent to which the nonlinearity associated with DEB structures needs to be modeled. Sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is carrying out a research program to develop a technical basis to support the safety evaluation of deeply embedded and/or buried (DEB) structures as proposed for advanced reactor designs. In this paper, a study of the effect of the soil/structure interface on seismic induced pressures is presented. The nonlinear effect considered includes separation or slipping along the side soil/wall interface. This paper describes various finite element models developed using the LS-DYNA computer code to study the nonlinear effect associated with the soil/structure interface interaction of DEB structures subjected to seismic motion. It is found, based on results to date, that the seismic response characteristics of DEB structures are considerably influenced by the modeling technique for soil/structure interfaces. One of the prominent effects found is the soil/structure interface separations, which modify the soil pressure distributions in both circumferential and vertical directions, as well as their frequency content