Shake-Table Testing |

Experimental performance of a multi-storey braced frame structure with non-structural industrial components subjected to synthetic ground motions

Thu, 05 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

The seismic risk assessment of industrial facilities mainly relies on historical data and the analysis and design of uncoupled secondary components. Accordingly, the dynamic interaction between primary structures and process equipment is overlooked. The SPIF project - Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities - was carried out to respond to this gap, within the European H2020 SERA framework. Its objective regarded the investigation of the seismic behaviour of an archetype industrial multi-storey steel moment resisting frame (MRF) structure equipped with non-structural components (NSCs) by means of shaking table tests. The goal of the proposed study was to extend the interaction analysis between a primary multi-storey braced frame (BF) steel structure and NSCs in a performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) perspective. Along this vein, to excite the vibration periods of the NSCs and thus enhance possible coupling with the primary structure, a synthetic site-based ground motion model (GMM) was employed. More precisely, the proposed research intended: (i) to severely excite the process equipment and supplement the scarcity of real records with a specific frequency content by means of a stochastic GMM; (ii) to quantify seismic-induced force and displacement demands of secondary components and their effects on the primary BF structure. The evaluation of the experimental data clearly shows buckling in the bracing system of the BF configuration and a strong interaction between vertical tanks and floor crossbeams of the BF. At the very least, the favourable performance of the archetype BF under strong seismic records is demonstrated.

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Seismic performance of an industrial multi-storey frame structure with process equipment subjected to shake table testing

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances. Nonetheless, current standards for seismic design of industrial facilities are considered inadequate to guarantee proper safety conditions against exceptional events entailing loss of containment and related consequences. On these premises, the SPIF project - Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities - was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 SERA funding scheme. In detail, the objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behaviour of a representative industrial multi-storey frame structure equipped with complex process components by means of shaking table tests. Along this main vein and in a performance-based design perspective, the issues investigated in depth are the interaction between a primary moment resisting frame (MRF) steel structure and secondary process components that influence the performance of the whole system; and a proper check of floor spectra predictions. The evaluation of experimental data clearly shows a favourable performance of the MRF structure, some weaknesses of local details due to the interaction between floor crossbeams and process components and, finally, the overconservatism of current design standards w.r.t. floor spectra predictions.

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SPIF Processed Dataset

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

Processed experimental dataset of the SPIF project (Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities), carried out within the European H2020 SERA Transnational Access programme at the EUCENTRE laboratories in Pavia, Italy. The dataset collects the processed measurements of the shake table test campaign on a full-scale, three-storey industrial steel frame structure, tested in moment resisting frame and braced frame configurations, equipped with vertical and horizontal tanks, a cabinet and piping networks with bolted flange joints. It includes input ground motions and the acceleration, displacement and strain responses of both the primary structure and the non-structural process components.

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Seismic performance of multiple-component systems in special risk industrial facilities

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of the process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances in industrial facilities. Nevertheless, the design of industrial plants is inadequately described in recent codes and guidelines, as they do not consider the dynamic interaction between the structure and the installations and thus the effect of seismic response of the installations on the response of the structure and vice versa. The current code-based approach for the seismic design of industrial facilities is considered not enough for ensure proper safety conditions against exceptional event entailing loss of content and related consequences. Accordingly, SPIF project (Seismic Performance of MultiComponent Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities) was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 - SERA funding scheme (Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe). The objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behavior of a representative industrial structure equipped with complex process technology by means of shaking table tests. The test structure is a three-story moment resisting steel frame with vertical and horizontal vessels and cabinets, arranged on the three levels and connected by pipes. The dynamic behavior of the test structure and installations is investigated with and without base isolation. Furthermore, both firmly anchored and isolated components are taken into account to compare their dynamic behavior and interactions with each other. Artificial and synthetic ground motions are applied to study the seismic response at different PGA levels. After each test, dynamic identification measurements are carried out to characterize the system condition. The contribution presents the numerical simulations to calibrate the tests on the prototype, the experimental setup of the investigated structure and installations, selected measurement data and finally describes preliminary experimental results.

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Ground motion model for seismic vulnerability assessment of prototype industrial plants

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

Relationships between seismic action, system response and relevant damage levels in industrial plants require a solid background both in experimental data, due to the high level of nonlinearity and seismic input. Besides, risk and fragility analyses depend on the adoption of a huge number of seismic records usually not available in a site-specific analysis. In order to manage these issues and to gain knowledge on the definition of damage levels, limit states and performance for major-hazard industrial plant components, we present a possible approach for an experimental campaign based on a real prototype industrial steel structure. The investigation of the seismic behaviour of the reference structure will be carried out through shaking table tests. In particular, tests are focused on structural or process-related interactions that can lead to serious secondary damages as leakage in piping systems or connections with tanks and cabinets. The aforementioned test program has been possible thanks to the adoption of: (i) a number of artificial spectrum-compatible accelerograms; (ii) a ground motion model (GMM) able to generate a suite of synthetic time-histories records for specified site characteristic and earthquake scenarios. More precisely, GMM model parameters can be identified by matching the statistics of a target-recorded accelerogram to the ones of the model in terms of faulting mechanism, earthquake magnitude, source-to-site distance and site shear-wave velocity. As a result, the stochastic model, based both on these matched parameters and on filtered white-noise process, can generate the ensemble of synthetic ground motions capable of capturing the main features of real earthquake ground motions, including intensity, duration, spectral content and peak values. Moreover, the synthetic records are selected to target specific damages and limit states in industrial components. Finally, by means of the combination of artificial and synthetic accelerograms, a seismic vulnerability assessment of both the whole structure and relevant industrial components

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A ground motion model for seismic vulnerability assessment of prototype industrial plants

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

Relationships between seismic action, system response and relevant damage levels in industrial plants require a solid background both in experimental data, due to the high level of nonlinearity, and in knowledge of seismic input due to large uncertainty. Besides, risk and fragility analyses depend on the adoption of a huge number of seismic records usually not available in a site-specific analysis. In order to manage these issues and to gain knowledge on the definition of damage levels, limit states and performance for major-hazard industrial plant components, we present a possible approach and discuss results of an experimental campaign based on a real prototype industrial steel structure. The investigation of the seismic behaviour of the reference structure has been carried on through shaking table tests, focusing in particular on the structural or process-related interactions that can lead to serious secondary damages as leakage in piping systems or connections with tanks and cabinets. This has been possible thanks to the adoption of a ground motion model (GMM) able to generate a suite of synthetic time-histories records for specified site characteristic and earthquake scenarios. In fact, model parameters can be identified by matching the statistics of a target-recorded accelerogram to the ones of the model in terms of faulting mechanism, earthquake magnitude, source-to-site distance and site shear-wave velocity. Hence, the stochastic model, based both on these matched parameters and on filtered white-noise process, generates the ensemble of synthetic ground motions capable to capture the main features of real earthquake ground motions, including intensity, duration, spectral content and peak values. Finally, by means of the combination of a high-fidelity and a low-fidelity FE model as well as the stochastic input generated by a GMM, a seismic vulnerability assessment of both industrial components and the global structure can be carried out.

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