The study investigates the collapse probability of a cabinet facility with a tuned mass damper (TMD) subjected to high- and low-frequency earthquakes. For this aim, a prototype of the cabinet in Korea is utilized for the numeric simulation. The accuracy of the finite element model is evaluated via the impact hammer tests. To mitigate the seismic response of the structure, a TMD system is developed whose properties are designed based on the outcomes from the modal analysis (i.e., modal frequencies and mode shapes). Furthermore, the influences of earthquake frequency contents on the seismic response are evaluated. The numeric analyses are conducted using a series of eighty earthquakes that are classified into two groups corresponding to low- and high-frequency motions. Finally, fragility curves are developed for the cabinet subjected to different ground motion sets. The results quantify the seismic vulnerability of the structure and demonstrate the influences of earthquake frequency contents and the vibration control system on the seismic response of the cabinet.
A tuned mass damper (TMD) was developed for mitigating the seismic responses of electrical equipment inside nuclear power plants (NPPs), in particular, the response of an electrical cabinet. A shaking table test was performed, and the frequency and damping ratio were extracted, to confirm the dynamics of the cabinet. Electrical cabinets with and without TMDs were modeled while using SAP2000 software (Version 20, Computers and Structures, NY, USA) that was based on the results. TMDs were designed while using an optimization method and the equations of Den Hartog, Warburton, and Sadek. The numerical models were verified while using the shaking table test results. A sinusoidal sweep wave was applied as input to identify the vibration characteristics of the electrical cabinet over a wide frequency range. Applying various seismic loads that were adjusted to meet the RG 1.60 design response spectrum of 0.3 g then validated the control performance of the TMD. The minimum and maximum response spectrum reduction rates of the designed TMDs were 44.7% and 62.9%, respectively. Further, the amplification factor of the electrical cabinet with the TMD was decreased by 53%, on average, with the proposed optimization method. In conclusion, TMDs can be considered to be an effective way of enhancing the seismic performance of the electrical equipment inside NPPs.
28 January 2009 in Journal of Marine Science and Technology