Shaking Table |

Experimental investigation on the seismic performance of a multi-component system for major-hazard industrial facilities

Tue, 13 Jul 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 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 Multi-Component 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 behaviour 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 behaviour of the test structure and of its relative several installations is investigated. Furthermore, both process components and primary structure interactions are considered and analyzed. Several PGA-scaled artificial ground motions are applied to study the seismic response at different levels. After each test, dynamic identification measurements are carried out to characterize the system condition. The contribution presents the experimental setup of the investigated structure and installations, selected measurement data and describes the obtained damage. Furthermore, important findings for the definition of performance limits, the effectiveness of floor response spectra in industrial facilities will be presented and discussed.

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Shake table testing for a multi-component prototype industrial plant: input and system modelling issues

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

Recent destructive earthquakes in China (Sichuan, 2008 and Yushu, 2010), Japan (Tohoku, 2011) and Italy (Emilia, 2012) highlighted the social and the political consequences of seismic risk due especially to industrial facilities. More precisely, critical interactions between the supporting structure and process components reveal to be extremely vulnerable in a seismic scenario and capable to lead serious damage of process equipment and potential release of hazardous substances. This latter circumstance, underestimated by current codes, in addition to loss of production, pose a serious danger to humans and the surrounding environment. Based 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 greater detail, the goal of the project is the investigation of both the seismic behavior and the dynamic interactions of a representative industrial substructure equipped with complex process technology by means of shaking table tests. A full-scale mock-up composed by two single-bay moment resisting frames with three floors equipped with tanks, flanges, pipes, cabinet etc. was built and tested using a unidirectional shaking table activated with several earthquake levels. More precisely, the salient features investigated by shaking table testing are: i) the interaction between a primary moment resisting frame steel structure and secondary process components that influence the performance of the whole system; ii) input and system modelling capable to faithfully reproduce the seismic response of SPIF tested structure. The comprehensive testing campaign demonstrated a clear dynamic interaction between the primary steel structure and secondary process units that emphasizes the need of further investigations and studies.

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Investigation of the seismic behaviour of structural and non-structural components in industrial facilities by means of shaking table tests

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

Industrial facilities consist of a primary load-carrying structure and of process components, such as vessels, tanks, piping and cabinets, that can be seriously damaged by earthquakes. Within the SPIF project (Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities), funded by the European H2020 SERA Transnational Access programme, a full-scale three-storey industrial steel frame equipped with vertical and horizontal vessels, a cabinet and connecting pipes was tested on the shaking table of the EUCENTRE laboratories in Pavia, Italy. This contribution presents the test structure, its installations and the measurement plan, with accelerations and relative displacements of the components and pipe sections recorded at increasing peak ground acceleration levels, with the aim of supporting design recommendations for the seismic performance of vessels, pipes and their connections.

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