Models test on dynamic structure-structure interaction of nuclear power plant buildings

A reactor building of an NPP (nuclear power plant) is generally constructed closely adjacent to a turbine building and other buildings such as the aux iliary building, and in increasing numbers of NPPs, multiple plants are bei ng planned and constructed closely on a single site. In these situations, a djacent buildings are considered to influence each other through the soil d uring earthquakes and to exhibit dynamic behaviour different from that of s eparate buildings, because those buildings in NPP are generally heavy and m assive. The dynamic interaction between buildings during earthquake through the soil is termed here as 'dynamic cross interaction (DCI)'. In order to comprehend DCI appropriately, forced vibration tests and earthquake observa tion are needed using closely constructed building models. Standing on this background, Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC) had planned the project to investigate the DCI effect in 1993 after the preceding SSI (soil -structure interaction) investigation project, 'Model Tests on Embedment Ef fect of Reactor Building'. The project consists of field and laboratory tes ts. The field test is being carried out using three different building cons truction conditions, e.g. a single reactor building to be used for the comp arison purposes as for a reference, two same reactor buildings used to eval uate pure DCI effects, and two different buildings, reactor and turbine bui lding models to evaluate DCI effects under the actual plant conditions. For ced vibration tests and earthquake observations are planned in the field te st. The laboratory test is planned to evaluate basic characteristics of the DCI effects using simple soil model made of silicon rubber and structure m odels made of aluminum. In this test, forced vibration tests and shaking ta ble tests are planned. The project was started in April 1994 and will be co mpleted in March 2002. This paper describes an outline and the summary of t he current status of this project. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All right s reserved.