The occurrence of excessive fluid sloshing during an earthquake can damage structures used to store fluids and can induce secondary disasters, such as environmental destruction and human casualties, due to discharge of the stored fluids. Thus, to prevent such disasters, it is important to accurately predict the sloshing behavior of liquid storage tanks. Tubular level gauges, which visually show the fluid level of a liquid storage tank, are easy to install and economical compared to other water level gauges. They directly show the fluid level and can be applied for various fluids because they can be constructed with various materials according to the fluid characteristics and the intended use. Therefore, in this study, the shaking table test was conducted to verify the validity of the method for measuring the water level response of the tubular level gauge installed on a liquid storage tank using image signals. In addition, image enhancement methods were applied to distinguish between the float installed in the tubular level gauge and the gray level of the background.
Among national infrastructure facilities, electric power facilities are very important sites that must maintain their functions properly even during a natural disaster or during social crises. Therefore, seismic design is required when necessary for major electric power facilities that have a significant impact when damaged in the event of an earthquake. In electric power facilities, bushings are generally installed in devices or structures. Therefore, ground acceleration can be amplified through devices, such as transformers, or sub-structures. Among various electric power facilities, cable terminations are representative cantilever-type substation facilities consisting of a bushing, a sub-structure, and support insulators. The bushings of cable terminations are generally made of porcelain or fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) materials, and they may have different dynamic characteristics. This study attempted to estimate the acceleration amplification ratio in the main positions of cable terminations considering the materials of bushings. For two cable terminations with different specifications and bushing materials, three-axis shake table tests were conducted in accordance with IEEE 693, which includes a seismic performance evaluation method for a power substation facility. The acceleration amplification ratios at the top of the bushing, mass center, and top of the support structure were estimated using the acceleration responses of each cable termination. They were then compared with the acceleration amplification factors presented in design standards. Consequently, the acceleration amplification ratio of cable termination with an FRP bushing was lower than that of the cable termination with a porcelain bushing.
Earthquake damage to electrical systems degrades their performances and disrupts their normal functioning. Furthermore, it disrupts nuclear power plant (NPP) operations. NPPs in South Korea have been designed based on the Regulatory Guide 1.60 (RG 1.60) design spectra; however, the Gyeongju earthquakes in South Korea were of high frequency, with magnitudes of 5.1 and 5.8. Therefore, the seismic performances of electrical systems (high-frequency sensitive) must be evaluated to consider low- and high-frequency motions. In this study, to ensure the operation of NPPs in South Korea, the seismic performance and dynamic characteristics of the battery charger (BC) in the electrical subsystem were evaluated experimentally. Seismic tests of the BC were performed to consider low frequencies, high frequencies and a combination of both. The dynamic characteristics of the inside and outside of the cabinet, depending on the input motions, were evaluated and compared based on the tests. Moreover, the acceptance criteria for relay contact chatter were evaluated using the measured output signal during the seismic tests. From seismic test results, the peak acceleration of CRS at the top location (A6) was 1.31 times larger than that of UHS and 1.51 times than that of RG 1.60 and it increased rapidly with increasing PGA levels. Contact chatter was not observed under a peak acceleration of 3.4 g on the installed relay of the panel; however, the relay chatter for more than 2 ms dropped below the reference voltage 46 times. The major components of the electric cabinet were significantly affected by high-frequency motion.
Numerical model updating using the data measured from the actual structure is required in order to minimize the error between the initial numerical model and the actual structure. Field load tests, which are conducted in order to assess the condition and safety of high-speed railway bridges, are generally expensive and restricted by railway control and weather conditions. Therefore, a method for evaluating the performance of high-speed railway bridges using updated numerical models without conducting field load tests is required. In this study, numerical model updating was performed by using the data measured from the ambient vibration test in order to assess the dynamic stability of high-speed railway bridges. In the ambient vibration test, the measurement point roaming method was applied in order to accurately measure high-speed railway bridges using a limited number of sensors. For numerical model updating, the univariate search method was used, and several measured parameters were updated and converted into the properties of the target bridges in the numerical models. The vertical and torsional modes of the updated numerical models differed by less than 5% from those estimated using the data measured from the target bridges. The responses of the updated numerical models were found to be similar to those measured from the high-speed railway bridges in operation. It was also shown that the updated numerical models could be used to assess the dynamic stability of the bridges.