Failure behavior analyses of piping system under dynamic seismic loading

• Published in: The International journal of pressure vessels and piping Vol. 167; pp. 2 - 10
• Main Authors: Udagawa, Makoto, Li, Yinsheng, Nishida, Akemi, Nakamura, Izumi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2018
• Subjects: Dynamic seismic loading; Finite element analysis; Low cycle fatigue; Piping system; Dynamic seismic loading; Finite element analysis; Piping system; Low cycle fatigue
• ISSN: 0308-0161; 1879-3541
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpvp.2018.10.002

Some nuclear power plants in Japan experienced severe seismic ground motions that exceed their structural design specifications. Therefore, it is important to assess the margin of structural design against failure of piping systems under the severe seismic loading. The purpose of this study is to establish an analytical approach by which the failure behavior of piping systems can be simulated under severe dynamic seismic loading considering plastic effects. A series of dynamic-elastic-plastic analyses was performed focusing on a dynamic excitation test of a three dimensional piping system. The analytical results agree with the experimental data in terms of natural frequency, natural vibration mode, response accelerations, elbow opening-closing displacements, strain histories, failure position and low-cycle fatigue failure life.