Kenji Kanazawa

Development of an Evaluation Method for Seismic Isolation Systems of Nuclear Power Facilities: Part 7 — Breaking Test Plan and Development of Test Machine for Full-Scale Lead Rubber Bearings

This paper is a part of the series “Development of an Evaluation Method for Seismic Isolation Systems of Nuclear Power Facilities.” This part presents a break test plan and development of a test machine for a full-scale lead rubber bearing (LRB). Application of seismic base-isolation systems using LRBs of 1600 mm in diameter to reactor building has been considered for the purpose of enhancing seismic safety. It is important to obtain the ultimate properties of isolators in order to estimate the seismic safety margin of seismic base-isolated structures against a beyond design-basis earthquake events. Recent studies reveal that the scaled effect appears on the ultimate properties of seismic rubber bearings. However, because of the limitation of the loading capabilities of loading machines, the ultimate property of such a large scale LRBs has not been confirmed.In this study, the break tests for LRBs of 1600 mm in diameter is planned on the basis of estimation that refers to previous studies on break tests for small-scale LRBs and natural rubber bearings. The world-largest class test machine is designed and constructed to conduct static break tests for the full-scale LRBs. Furthermore, the performance of the test machine is evaluated from test results including those for break tests.Copyright

Shaking Table Tests With Large Test Specimens of Seismically Isolated FBR Plants: Part 3—Ultimate Behavior of Upper Structure and Rubber Bearings

This paper describes results of shaking table tests to grasp ultimate behavior of seismic isolation system under extremely strong earthquake motions, including failure of rubber bearings. The results of the shaking table tests are expected to be useful for the design of seismically isolated nuclear facilities, especially fast breeder reactor (FBR) plants. In the test, lead rubber bearings, of which the diameter is 505 mm and about 1/3 scale of a prototype in planning FBR plants, are used; the test specimens are loaded by the largest three-dimensional shaking table in E-defense of National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) of Japan. Failure of rubber bearings occurs with amplified tentative design earthquake motions. From the tests, the ultimate responses of the upper structure and rubber bearings are presented. In particular, the change of floor response spectra and restoring force characteristics of rubber bearings according to increase of input motions is discussed. Furthermore, mechanism of the failure of rubber bearings is investigated from the observation of failure surfaces and cut sections, static loading tests, and material tests of rubber bearings. Finally, the function of seismic isolation system after the failure of a part of rubber bearings is confirmed under the tentative design earthquake.Copyright