Structures of high-rise buildings are less prone to earthquake damage. This is because the response acceleration of high-rise buildings appears to be small by generally occurring short-period ground motions. However, due to the increased construction volume of high-rise buildings and concerns about large earthquakes, long-period ground motions have begun to be recognized as a risk factor for high-rise buildings. Ground motion observed on each floor of the building is affected by the eigenmode of the building because the ground motion input to the building is amplified in the frequency range corresponding to the building's natural frequency. In addition, long-period components of ground motion are more easily transmitted to the floor or attached components of the building than short-period components. As such, high-rise buildings and non-structural components pose concerns about long-period ground motion. However, the criteria (ASCE 7-22) underestimate the acceleration response of buildings and non-structural components caused by long-period ground motion. Therefore, the characteristics of buildings’ acceleration response amplification ratio and non-structural components were reviewed in this study through shake table tests considering long-period ground motions.
In this study, alternative seismic force-resisting systems for plant structure supporting equipment were designed, and the seismic performance thereof was compared using nonlinear dynamic analysis. One alternative seismic force-resisting system was designed per the requirement for ordinary moment-resisting and concentrically braced frames but with a reduced base shear. The other seismic force-resisting system was designed by accommodating seismic details of intermediate and unique moment-resisting frames and special concentrically braced frames. Different plastic hinge models were applied to ordinary and ductile systems based on the validation using existing test results. The control model obtained by code-based flexible design and/or reduction of base shear did not satisfy the seismic performance objectives, but the alternative structural system did by strengthened panel zones and a reduced effective buckling length. The seismic force to equipment calculated from the nonlinear dynamic analysis was significantly lower than the equivalent static force of KDS 41 17 00. The comparison of design alternatives showed that the seismic performance required for a plant structure could be secured economically by using performance-based design and alternative seismic-force resisting systems adopting minimally modified seismic details.
Considering the non-linear behavior of structure and soil when evaluating a nuclear power plant's seismic safety under a beyond-design basis earthquake is essential. In order to obtain the nonlinear response of a nuclear power plant structure, a time-domain SSI analysis method that considers the nonlinearity of soil and structure and the nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) effect is necessary. The Boundary Reaction Method (BRM) is a time-domain SSI analysis method. The BRM can be applied effectively with a Perfectly Matched Layer (PML), which is an effective energy absorbing boundary condition. The BRM has a characteristic that the magnitude of the response in far-field soil increases as the boundary interface of the effective seismic load moves outward. In addition, the PML has poor absorption performance of low-frequency waves. For this reason, the accuracy of the low-frequency response may be degraded when analyzing the combination of the BRM and the PML. In this study, the accuracy of the analysis response was improved by adjusting the PML input parameters to improve this problem. The accuracy of the response was evaluated by using the analysis response using KIESSI-3D, a frequency domain SSI analysis program, as a reference solution. As a result of the analysis applying the optimal PML parameter, the average error rate of the acceleration response spectrum for 9 degrees of freedom of the structure was 3.40%, which was highly similar to the reference result. In addition, time-domain nonlinear SSI analysis was performed with the soil's nonlinearity to show this study's applicability. As a result of nonlinear SSI analysis, plastic deformation was concentrated in the soil around the foundation. The analysis results found that the analysis method combining BRM and PML can be effectively applied to the seismic response analysis of nuclear power plant structures.
A new clamped mechanical splice system was proposed to develop structural performance and constructability for precast concrete connections. The proposed mechanical splice resists external loading immediately after the engagement. The mechanical splices applicable for both large-scale rebars for plants and small-scale rebars for buildings were developed with the same design concept. Quasi-static lateral cyclic loading tests were conducted with reinforced and precast concrete members to verify the seismic performance. Also, shaking table tests with three types of seismic wave excitation, 1) random wave with white noise, 2) the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake, and 3) the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, were conducted to confirm the dynamic performance. All tests were performed with real-scale concrete specimens. Sensors measured the lateral load, acceleration, displacement, crack pattern, and secant system stiffness, and energy dissipation was determined by lateral load-displacement relation. As a result, the precast specimen provided the emulative performance with RC. In the shaking table tests, PC frames’ maximum acceleration and displacement response were amplified 1.57 - 2.85 and 2.20 - 2.92 times compared to the ground motions. The precast specimens utilizing clamped mechanical splice showed ductile behavior with energy dissipation capacity against strong motion earthquakes.
This study investigated the rocking behavior of unreinforced masonry walls and wall piers under cyclic loading. Based on the benchmark tests, the characteristics of load-deformation relations in masonry walls with rocking failure were captured, focusing on observed deformation modes. The rocking strengths of masonry walls (i.e., peak and residual strengths) were evaluated, and the effects of opening configurations on the masonry wall strength were examined. The deformation capacity of the rocking behavior and the hysteresis shape of the load-deformation relations were also identified. Based on the results, modeling approaches for the rocking behavior of masonry walls were discussed.
The column-tree type steel beam-column connections are commonly used in East Asian countries, including Korea. The welding detail between the stub beam and column is similar to the WUF-W connection; thus, it can be expected to have sufficient seismic performance. However, previous experimental studies indicate that premature slip occurs at the friction joints between the stub and link beams. In this study, for the accurate seismic performance evaluation of column-tree type moment connections, a moment-slip model was proposed by investigating the previous test results. As a result, it was found that the initial slip occurred at about 25% of the design slip moment strength, and the amount of slip was about 0.15%. Also, by comparing the analysis results from models with and without the slip element, the influence of slip on the performance of overall beam-column connections was examined. As the panel zone became weaker, the contribution of slip on overall deformation became greater, and the shear demand for the panel zone was reduced.
In Korea, most nuclear power plants were designed based on the design response spectrum of Regulatory Guide 1.60 of the NRC. However, in the case of earthquakes occurring in the country, the characteristics of seismic motions in Korea and the design response spectrum differed. The seismic motion in Korea had a higher spectral acceleration in the high-frequency range compared to the design response spectrum. The seismic capacity may be reduced when evaluating the seismic performance of the equipment with high-frequency earthquakes compared with what is evaluated by the design response spectrum for the equipment with a high natural frequency. Therefore, EPRI proposed the inelastic energy absorption factor for the equipment anchorage. In this study, the seismic performance of welding anchorage was evaluated by considering domestic seismic characteristics and EPRI's inelastic energy absorption factor. In order to reflect the characteristics of domestic earthquakes, the uniform hazard response spectrum (UHRS) of Uljin was used. Moreover, the seismic performance of the equipment was evaluated with a design response spectrum of R.G.1.60 and a uniform hazard response spectrum (UHRS) as seismic inputs. As a result, it was confirmed that the seismic performance of the weld anchorage could be increased when the inelastic energy absorption factor is used. Also, a comparative analysis was performed on the seismic capacity of the anchorage of equipment by the welding and the extended bolt.