Nuclear Engineering and Design 36 (1976) 287-297

© North-Holland Publishing Company

A PRACTICAL SYSTEM FOR ISOLATING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

FROM EARTHQUAKE ATTACK

R.I. SKINNER, G.N. BYCROFT and G.H. McVERRY

Physics and Engineering Laboratory, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Received 23 December 1975

The earthquake-generated forces and deformations of the main substructures of a nuclear power plant can be reduced
by a factor of about ten times by mounting the power plant building on a recently developed base-isolation system. The
very high forces which the 'resonant appendage' effect may induce in some critical components (such as fuel elements
and control rods) may be reduced by a factor of 40 or more by the isolation system. This system combines recently de-
veloped hysteretlc dampers with components which support the structure while providing high flexibility for horizontal
motion. These dampers utilize the plastic deformation of solid steel beams, while a convenient support system with ade-
quate horizontal flexibility may be provided by laminated rubber bearings of the type frequently used to support bridge
decks. The earthquake attack on a nuclear power plant is particularly hazardous since it attacks simultaneously all the
plant components, including the control and safety systems. Undetected deterioration of a set of components may further
increase the probability of multiple failure during earthquakes. Hence the large reduction in earthquake-induced forces
and deformations, which may be achieved with the base-isolation system described, will greatly reduce the likelihood of
earthquake-induced accident or damage in those nuclear power plants located in regions of high seismicity.

1. Introduction severe and unusual obstacles against the safe operation

The design of earthquake-resistant nuclear power
plants presents many difficult problems. These prob-
lems have been studied extensively and their most
important features are outlined here for comparison
with the expected features of base-isolated power
plants.
For a very low likelihood of nuclear accidents the
power plant design must include provision for earth-
quakes with recurrence periods of many thousands
of years. In an area of high seismicity this implies
very severe design earthquakes with maximum accele-
rations in excess of 1.0 g.
Earthquakes attack structures through vibrational
forces which arise from the accelerations o f the
ground. Structures may also be attacked by earth-
quake-induced ground deformations (with possible
faulting), and by slips moving from higher ground.
It is here assumed that it is possible to choose a site
and to detail foundations in such a way that only
the vibrational forces are a serious problem. In areas
of high seismicity these vibrational forces present
and shutdown of a nuclear power plant.
For reliable strength and performance the struc-
tural and operating components of a nuclear power
plant should have their strains limited to the elastic
range. As a consequence there is a low self-damping
for resonant vibrations. For reliable performance of
control and safety systems, and for protection of
components which interconnect substructures, high
stiffness should be provided in the power plant build-
ing and in those substructures. Such a stiff power
plant will have principal resonances with periods of
about 0 . 2 - 0 . 4 sec and these periods are within the
intense part of the response spectra of the accelera-
tions of appropriate design earthquakes. The low
damping and the short resonant periods of nuclear
power plants result in representative accelerations of
structural components which are three or more times
the maximum ground acceleration [ 1].
Small but very important components of nuclear
power plants, such as fuel rods, control rods and
piping, may have resonant periods which are close
to those of their supporting substructures. These ap-

287
288 R.I. Skinner et aL/ System for isolating nuclear power plants
pendages then undergo accelerations which are many
times larger than the accelerations of their supports,
and if they remain elastic their accelerations may
reach 20 or more times the maximum ground accele-
ration [2, 3].
The dynamic responses of a non-isolated nuclear
power plant are very complex. Contributing to this
complexity are the non-linear constraints on many
of the crucial components which arise from provi-
sions for thermal expansions. Typical non-linear con-
straints introduce little additional damping. Analysis
shows that such non-linearities change dynamic re-
sponses but do not necessarily reduce them. There is
considerable difficulty and uncertainty in the defini-
tion of a model of a non-isolated nuclear power plant
which is adequate for the computation of earthquake
responses. Moreover, the programming and computing
task is very large. The complexities and uncertainties
in computing the earthquake responses of nuclear
plants are well illustrated in the paper by Hornbuckle
et al. [4]. This paper also reports large amplifications
of earthquake ground accelerations which have oc-
curred in major structural subsystems.
It is difficult to provide for the large design earth-
quake forces appropriate to regions of high seismicity.
It is also difficult to ensure the reliable operation of
the control and safety systems under these large for-
ces and the deformations which they cause. Therefore
it is difficult to ensure adequate protection against
nuclear accidents and against extensive damage and
extended stoppages.
There have been many proposals in the past for
the isolation of structures from earthquake attack by
using horizontally flexible supports at the base. How-
ever, these have not been introduced - mainly be-
cause suitable dampers were not available. Without
adequate damping there would be a quasi-resonant
build-up of severe forces throughout the structure,
and excessive base displacements during a major
earthquake. Moreover, the flexible supports would
allow frequent excessive base movements during wind
storms and moderate earthquakes. Recent proposals
to allow sliding at the base are more promising. How-
ever, they would require the provision of some
centring force system to prevent excessive displace-
ments. Moreover, sliding alone would not reduce
forces and deformations (including those of large
magnitude in resonating appendages) during relatively
frequent earthquakes of moderate severity.
Practical base-isolation systems for various types
of structure have been described recently [5-7].
These isolation systems have been made possible by
the development of appropriate hysteretic dampers
[8-10] *. These dampers may be combined with one
of a number of proposed systems for providing hori-
zontal flexibility to give h practical system for isolating
structures from earthquake attack. An isolation sys-
tem for a nuclear power plant is described below. For
moderate horizontal deflections the proposed base
isolator is about 20 times as flexible as a 'typical'
nuclear plant (of fundamental period 0.3 sec). For
large deformations the isolator provides high hystere-
tic damping and it increases in flexibility to about
70 times that of the nuclear plant. The long effective
periods and high damping of a base-isolated nuclear
plant reduce horizontal earthquake forces to low
values while the high stiffness of the nuclear plant
structures ensures small deformations. The large in-
crease in structural periods eliminates appendage
resonance and hence eliminates the large force magni-
fications. Again the uncertainties normally introduced
by non-linearities are of little significance because the
earthquake responses of a stiff base-isolated structure
are insensitive to changes in the stiffness of the struc-
ture. A further consequence of the hysteretic damp-
ing is a reduction in the base displacements to values
which the isolator can accommodate even when the
earthquake is very severe. Again, the higher stiffness
of the base isolator under moderate horizontal loads
should limit motion during windstorms to an ac-
ceptable level.
The recently developed hysteretic dampers, which
are appropriate for the proposed base-isolation sys-
tem, are based on the plastic deformation of solid
steel beams [8, 9]. These dampers are highly reliable
and of low cost and require virtually no maintenance.
An alternative hysteretic damper based on the cyclic
extrusion of lead has undergone considerable devel-
opment [10].
The many practical methods for providing hori-
zontal flexibility at the base of a building include
slender columns and suspension cables. Laminated
rubber mounts of the type used to give flexible sup-
port to bridge decks are particularly convenient com-
* These dampers and their applications are subject to patents.
 R.L Skinner et aL/ System for isolating nuclear power plants 289

ponents for providing the required horizontal flexi-

bility.
2. Approximate earthquake responses of base-isolated
nuclear power plants
During horizontal earthquake accelerations a base-
isolated nuclear power plant moves with little defor-
mation and may be modelled approximately as a set
of masses rigidly connected to the base.
To derive base shears and displacements, and to
illustrate their effective independence from the reso-
nant periods of a stiff structure, the simple model of
fig. 1 is adopted. The total mass of the structure is
supported on springs which give the first structural
period. The laminated rubber mounts are represented
by a linear spring, while the hysteretic damper is rep-
resented by two linear springs and a coulomb damper.
These three components give a bilinear approximation
to the load-deflection curve of the dampers, as shown
in fig. 2. The viscous damper shown in fig. 1 provides
a damping factor ~"for small (linear) motions. Sym-
bols for the parameters of the model are as shown in
figs 1 and 2.
We have undertaken a preliminary feasibility study
on the basis of this model and have found that the
normalized values given in table 1 are appropriate
for such a base-isolated plant. The normalized mount
stiffness of table 1 gives a natural period of 4 sec for
a rigid power plant on the mounts alone. When the
dampers are introduced the natural period for mod-
erate (linear) displacements is 1.4 sec, and for an
° 1
1 ///
Oc
x--
//
Fig. 2. Bilinear approximation to the cyclic load-deflection
response of the hysteretic damper. Qc = damper force;
tan #e = Kc + ke = initial damper stiffness and tan 0c = ke =
yielded damper stiffness.
oscillation amplitude of 24 in. (0.61 m) the 'secant'
stiffness gives a natural period of 2.6 sec.
The responses of the nuclear power plant model
(fig. 1) were calculated for scaled values of the ac-
celerations recorded at El Centro, 1940, N - S com-
ponent. (As supplied by Professor G.V. Berg of the
University of Michigan, USA in 1960.) The accelera-
tion amplitudes were scaled by a multiplier Pa and
the acceleration times by Pp to give scaled accelera-
tions, Paa(t'/Pp), from the E1 Centro accelerations,
or(t). These scaling factors multiply the maximum

r---q ['-ff--1 Table 1.

k. -r-'-I L...-*_;
r
.l{~ i ¢ Model values for isolated power plant.

Parameter (normalized) Value

I \\ Initial damper stiffness,

(tan 0c)/W c
Yielded damper stiffness,
0.3 in.-l (11.8 m -1)

(tan ~e)/Qe 0.019 in_ 1 (0.75 m -1)

Mount stiffness, Kb/W 0.006386 in_ 1 (0.25 m -1)
,¢ Optimum damper force, Qc/W 0.15
Viscous damping, 1" 0.05 of critical
DAMPER Design base displacement, D d 24 in, (0.61 m)
Extreme base displacement, D e 36 in. (0.91 m)
Fig. 1. Model o f a structure with base isolator. W = weight
Plant fundamental period, T 0.2-0.4 see
of mass; K = spring stiffness and ~"= viscous damping factor.
290 R.L Skinner et al. / System for isolating nuclear power plants
earthquake accelerations and velocities by factors
of Pa and PaPp,respectively.
The maximum base shears and displacements were
computed for earthquake scaling factors of P a.= 4.0
and Pp = 1.0. The base shears for power plant funda-
mental periods from zero to 0.8 sec are given in fig. 3,
together with corresponding shears for a non-isolated
resonator. It is seen that base isolation reduces the
resonator response by about ten times for resonator
periods between 0.2 and 0.4 sec when the resonator
self-damping is 0.05. Fig. 3 also shows that the base
shear of the isolated resonator remains almost con-
stant at about 0.35 W for resonator periods from
zero to 0.8 sec. The corresponding base displacements
remain approximately constant at about 22 in.
(0.56 m). As discussed below practical isolator com-
ponents can be constructed and installed to give dis-
placement capabilities considerably greater than this.
It is seen from fig. 3 that the base shear of a stiff
isolated structure would be little changed if it were
made completely rigid. This arises because the base-
isolated structure moves horizontally with little de-
4"0
3"5
53.0
I:Z:
< 0'5
W
T 2"5
l/I
W <:I: 0"4
(/)
< 2"0
r'n
E
E3
E 1,5
X 1.020
<I:
1"0
0.5 ISOLATED
0"2 04 0"6 0"8
RESONATOR P E R I O D (SEC.)
Fig. 3. Response of a single-mass resonator, with and without
a base isolator, to four times the acceleration at E1 Centro,
1940, N-S. Damping in the elastic range is 0.05 of critical.
formation. It follows that all masses have comparable
horizontal accelerations, and that the maximum force
on each mass may be obtained approximately by dis-
tributing the maximum base shear in proportion to
the masses. Moreover, since the forces associated
with each of the original normal modes (before isola-
tion) will be; after isolation is introduced, apprdxi-
mately in phase, the normalizing weight (to give the
base shear defined by fig. 3) is the total weight of
the isolated plant.
The shears and base displacements of base-isolated
resonators are shown in figs 4 and 5 for a range of
values of the normalized hysteretic damping force
Qc/W. Ground accelerations have again been scaled
from those recorded at E1 Centro, 1940, N-S. When
the model given by the parameters of table 1 is sub-
jected to the very severe earthquake attack obtained
by multiplying the E1 Centro acceleration amplitudes
and time scale by Pa = 4.0 and Pp = 1.5 respectively,
it is found from figs 4 and 5 that the corresponding
values of base shear and displacement are 0.44 W
and 32 in. (0.81 m), respectively. A similar base
shear and displacement would be given by the attack
of a single velocity pulse of about 110 in./sec (2.8
m/sec). The provision of practical isolator compo-
nents with such force and deformation capacities is
discussed below.
The base shears for a non-isolated nuclear plant
% %
" I
~ I
W
T 40 ! 4.r~
Ld 0'3
< . 3'0
I'~ , 1 ~ 1 0 ~........~.'-
~::D 0.2 • "--"~IO-
'
~ t
<f 0"1 I
I
I
o olos oi, o4s 0!2
(DAMPER YIELD FORCE)/W, Qc/W
Fig. 4..Shears for base-isolated resonators with parameters
given by table 1, and with a resonator non-isolated period
of 0.3 see. Aeceleratioias at E1 Centro, 1940, N - S were
scaled by amplitude factor Pa and time scale factor Pp.
 R.I. Skinner et al. / System for isolating nuclear power plants 291

40 x , P* , P* appendage which has a period close to the dominant

\ \ , period of its supporting structure [2, 3]. The result-
ing double resonance can give appendage accelera-
\ k4"O I tions which are 20 or more times the maximum
,,,
T
\ \ t" 1" ground accelerations for earthquakes of 'El Centro'
L) type. For such a non-isolated power plant, an attempt
k-- may be made during design to achieve unequal periods
Z \ N4"o , for appendages and for the main structure. However,
it is difficult to ensure unequal periods in practice
U since the structure typically has two or three impor-
<
/ 20
13- "0 tant periods for horizontal vibration and the append-
age also may have more than one relevant period.
Moreover, structural and appendage non-linearities
will result in uncertain changes in periods with am-
plitudes of vibration.
~ lO To assess the effect of base isolation on appendage
acceleration, the resonator shown dotted in fig. 1 was
×< :o ._...~ added to the power plant model. The appendage was
I given a weight of 0.001 W, a viscous damping of 0.03,
I
I I and a period equal to that of the non-isolated main
o 0'o5 o!1 o.15 0.2 resonator. As before the main resonator and the base
(DAMPER YIELD FORCE)/W, Q/W isolator were given the parameter values listed in
Fig. 5. Displacements for base-isolated resonators with pa- table 1. Seismic responses were calculated for the
rameters given by table 1, and with a resonator non-isolated scaled E1 Centro earthquake with amplitude and time
period of 0.3 sec. Acceleration at El Centro, 1940, N - S scale multipliers of 4.0 and 1.0, respectively. The
were scaled by amplitude factor Pa and time scale factor Pp.
maximum accelerations of the resonant appendage
(assumed elastic, and with and without base isolation)
are given in fig. 6 for a range of resonant periods. It
are given approximately by the values for a single- can be seen that the isolator may reduce resonant
mass resonator, as in fig. 3 (at least for the shorter appendage accelerations by 40 times or more for
natural periods). However, the maximum accelera- typical power plant periods of 0.2-0.4 sec. A more
tions of components cover a wide range of values so detailed power plant model would give moderate
that the loads on some components are much greater changes in the appendage accelerations computed for
than the values obtained by distributing the base base isolation. However, when a resonant appendage
shears in proportion to the masses. That is, there is a is mounted near the top of a substructure of low
further scaling up of the forces on some components self-damping, in a power plant without isolation, a
of a non-isolated plant, above the values indicated by more detailed model of the system could give com-
fig. 3. This applies particularly to elevated substruc- puted appendage accelerations much greater than
tures which have lower damping than the overall the values shown in fig. 6. In such cases the reduction
power plant. Such lower damping values have been of resonant appendage acceleration achieved by base
estimated and measured [4] for reactor pressure ves- isolation would be much more than 40 times.
sels and heat exchangers. For such high-amplification The above analysis demonstrates that the simple
substructures the force reduction achieved by base model of fig. 1 suffices to approximate the earthquake
isolation may be several times the value of ten which forces on all parts of a base-isolated nuclear power
applies to a single-mass resonator with 5% viscous plant. The analysis also shows that a high level of
damping (fig. 3). earthquake protection is provided by an isolator with
When a nuclear power plant is not isolated, par- the parameter values listed in table I.
ticularly severe force amplifications occur on any The design earthquake level, appropriate for a
292 R.L Skinner et aL / System for isolating nuclear power plants

mum design earthquake of twice E1 Centro is con-

30
sidered appropriate, the damper force may be reduced
to 0.1 W, giving horizontal design loads for the main
component of about 0.18 times their weights (fig. 4).
25

Z
0 20
I--
<
Iz
ILl
_1
hi 15
~J
U
<
E bining a set of basic torsional-beam or flexural-beam
lO
)<
NON-ISOLATED
IN MASS ISOLATED
5 "~PPENDA IGSEOLArED
"'~. . . . . . . . . . ~ . ~ - ~ \~A,
~ -N- -MASL
..... , . . .
02 0"4 0"6
RESONATOR PERIODS (SEC)
Fig. 6. Resonant appendage acceleration with and without
isolation of the main resonator.
particular site, is subject to considerable uncertainty.
The recommended levels have tended to be higher
recently, as accelerations in excess of 1.0 g were re-
corded during the San Fernando earthquake on
9 February 1971. Maximum design earthquakes with
accelerations and velocities of about three times those
recorded at E1 Centro, 1940, N-S, are being consid-
ered for rigid (rock-like) sites in areas of high seismi-
city [1, 11]. In the light of present uncertainties
higher levels might be considered for the design earth-
quakes applied to base-isolated nuclear plants, since
the higher levels may be accommodated at a moderate
increase in cost. An appropriate level for the design
earthquake might be four times the accelerations and
velocities of the E1 Centro earthquake (Pa = 4, Pp = 1),
with some provision for six times the E1 Centro veloc-
ities (Pa = 4, Pp = 1.5). For these earthquake levels
the main components of the nuclear plant should
have horizontal load capacities equal to 0.35 times
their weights, with extreme overload capacities of
0.45 times their weights (fig. 4). Important appendages
should have somewhat higher load capacities, the in-
creases possibly being 50%. At a site where a maxi-
3. Base isolator systems
The high level of earthquake protection discussed
above may be achieved with isolator components
having the characteristics listed in table 1. The re-
quired hysteretic dampers may be obtained by com-
dampers of the types shown in figs 7(a) and (b), re-
spectively. The required mount flexibility and load
capacities may be obtained by a series-parallel com-
bination of laminated rubber pads.
- Torsional-beam dampers may be mounted with
. the beam-axis vertical to simplify loading links. They
O-• 1"C may be combined in pairs (as shown in fig. 8) to
balance moments at the anchors. To reduce the di-
mensions of the basic dampers, and hence simplify
their fabrication, testing and installation, they may
be installed with two or more pairs in series to give
the required deformation capacity (e.g. as shown in
fig. 9 and later in fig. 11). The approximate perfor-
mance characteristics of a basic torsional-beam damper
may be obtained from its dimensions using recently
determined relationships [8]. These are used in the
appendix to find the damper dimensions required to
give the overall characteristics listed in table 1. Basic
damper dimensions are derived for one, two, four
and six pairs of basic dampers connected in series.
These dimensions and the resulting characteristics of
the compound dampers are listed in the table A1. For
the case of six basic dampers connected in series, the
damper dimensions are only 30% greater than those
of dampers already tested, and soon to be installed
in a bridge [7].
The dampers of the type illustrated in figs 9 and
11, and described by table A1, are adequate as com-
ponents for nuclear plant isolators. However, these
simple combinations of basic dampers may be varied
in many ways. In particular some or all of the hinges
may be replaced by further torsional beams to give
compound dampers of increased force Q', but with
unchanged normalized stiffness (tan O')/Q' and
(tan ~')/Q'. Moreover, with certain hinges eliminated,
 LOADING
ARMS
ANCHORS
~:)~llJnll,m
R.L Skinner et aL / System for isolating nuclear power plants 293

I
roll i lJ

BASEANCHOR
~l,nR,lol,~,,,]~
ELEVATION

CYLI
NDRICAL
SLEEVE PLAN

FOUNDATION
R
SPHERI
ZONE CAL
SKELETON PLAN
Fig. 8. Back-to-back torsional-beam dampers to give parallel
action and moment balance at the anchors.
F'LEXURAL
BEAM

BASE

Fig. 7. (a) Basic torsional-beam hysteretic damper. Loads

are applied perpendicular to the axes of the beam and the
loading arms. (b) Basic flexural beam hysteretie damper.
Loads are applied in any horizontal direction.

some damping forces are provided for both compo-

nents of the horizontal motion of the structure, in
which case unbalanced moments occur at the damper
anchors•
The horizontally flexible mounts for the isolator
may be conveniently provided by sets of laminated
rubber pads, as illustrated in fig..10. Each pad con-
sists of a stack of rubber sheets bonded to interleaving
metal plates. To achieve the required flexibility, and a
design horizontal movement of 24 in., the total height FOUNDATION

of the rubber sheets in a mount should be 24 in. Fig. 9. Two pairs of basic torsional-beam dampers in series;
(0.61 m). To ensure stability without excessive pad plan view.
294 R.1. Skinner et aL / System for isolating nuclear power plants
~ BILIZING PLATE
~LAMINATED RUBBER PAD
SECTION A-A
L system under a nuclear power plant, an assessment
Fig. 10. Horizontally flexible mount consisting of four
stacks each of three laminated rubber pads, with stability
provided by two interleaved platforms.
dimensions the pads may be arranged in sets of four
with each set separated by rigid horizontal platforms
(fig. 10). When the mount is deformed horizontally
this arrangement reduces moments in the laminated
rubber stacks and reduces the loss of effective sup-
porting area. With pad dimensions of 30 X 30 × 8 in
(0.76 X 0.76 × 0.2 m), two intermediate platforms
would be sufficient.
The overall stack height of 24 in. (0.61 m) gives a
shear strain of 100% for design displacements and a
shear strain of 150% for extreme displacements. A
laminated rubber stack with a total rubber thickness
of 24 in. (0.61 m), when loaded by a weight suffi-
cient to give normal working stresses, has a stiffness
to load ratio of about 0.0064/in. (0.25/m) [12], the
value called for in table 1. The mount capacity may
be varied by increasing or decreasing the area of the
rubber pads. In this case the number of intermediate
platforms required may be less or more, respectively.
While there are many ways in which the above
isolator components may be developed and opti-
mized, the components described are adequate to
give an effective and reliable earthquake isolator of
moderate cost, and are used in the following example.
4. A base-isolated nuclear power plant
To obtain a clearer picture of the practical prob-
lems involved in the installation of a base-isolation
was made of the base-isolator requirements for the
power plant described by Mulay and Wahl [ 11 ]. To
achieve increased earthquake resistance these re-
searchers have recommended a compact power plant
integrated within a very rigid high-strength building.
Such integration of a power plant permits the ready
provision of base isolation. The relevant main features
of the power plant described [11 ] are summarized in
table 2.
With single-axis dampers of 100 ton (1000 kN)
capacity, and for a damper force of 0.15 I¢ along
each horizontal axis of the plant building, the num-
ber of dampers required is 1500. With a vertical load
capacity of 1600 ton (16 000 kN) for a set of four
laminated rubber bearings of 30 X 30 in. (0.76 X
0.76 m) [12] the number of mounts required is 313.
If the foundation is a raft of cellular construction
with a 25 ft (7.6 m) module, there are 380 cells. The
damper requirements are met by four dampers per
cell, and the mount requirements by less than one
per cell. However, since the power plant weight is
higher in the areas containing the two reactors, the
mount and :damper capacities'must also be higher in
these areas. A possible layout for the isolator com-
ponents is given in figs 11 and 12. The base-support-
Table 2.
Proposed nuclear power plant.
Building dimensions 600 × 400 X 160 ft (high)
(183 X 122 X 49 m)
Overall weight 500000 ton (5 X 106 kN)
Steam source B.W.R.
Power output 2000 MW
Overall cost (1974) US $1000 million
 R.L Skinner et al. / System for isolating nuclear power plants 295

9;'~.! f',i::'°~':', T * :'~. ° o.y :.'~::" " 9 . ~: ".°?':~,i"% n I I. ....

BUILDING BASE N .IH

~"I/ MOUNT . ~ . ~
eN
SECT'ELEV' D-D
" ~ -e .i~i'i~,':2:.:X:;'~.2 ~ . . 2 . ~5' ' ~ - ~ ; a : ? b . ; ~ : ~-
FIXED FOUNDATION
,;~,.'~...~..o.:%:v~.' '"~.~ ;:~,:~:..~'.
. . . . • o....~.~'/~ SECT.'ELEV;B - B . . . o . . ~
n'll
b
o

000000 ooo •
m °OOO000000

SECT:PLAN A-A
_1
Fig. 11. Schematic diagram of one cell of the foundation 24 cells ¢lt 2 5 ' • 6 0 0 '
raft showing the locations of the eight-beam torsional damp- SECT' PLAN C-C
ers and the 12-pad horizontally-flexible mounts. Section
B - B is also identified in fig, 12. Fig. 12. General layout of the flexible mounts and the damp-
ers which are located between the base of the nuclear power
plant and the cellular foundation raft. Section B - B is shown
in fig. 11.

ing flexible mounts are located over wall intersections
of the cellular foundation raft. Pillars extend down-
wards from the building base into the central region
of each cell. Four horizontally-acting dampers are
connected between each base pillar and the corners
of the surrounding foundation cell. A simplified view
of 6ne cell is given in fig. 11, for which 8-beam tor-
sional dampers and 12-pad flexible mounts have been
adopted. Fig. 12 gives the general layout of the
dampers and the mounts.
If it is assumed that the installed cost of a damper
or of a mount is US $ 1 0 000, then the total installed
cost of the isolator components is less than 2% of
the overall cost of the nuclear power plant. There
will also be the cost of the raft foundation which is
required as part of the isolation system. On the other
hand the earthquake loads on the total power plant
and its building are greatly reduced and this should
lead to structural economies and probably to signif-
icant weight reductions.
5. General considerations
While the base-isolation system described in the
above example is a practical system which achieves a
large reduction in earthquake attack at moderate
cost, it is evident that substantial further develop-
ments are possible. The load-deformation relation-
ship of the isolator could be modified to give a fur-
ther improvement in performance during the more
frequent earthquakes of moderate severity. Again,
the dampers may be further developed to reduce
manufacturing and installation costs and to virtually
eliminate the need for maintenance.
The attack of earthquakes with characteristics dif-
ferent from those of the 1940 El Centro earthquake
should be considered. For any earthquake a base-
isolated power plant should suffer the least severe
attack when located on the most rigid ground. If
the foundation raft is on a flexible surface layer it
should be supported on piles or caissons designed to
296 R.L Skinner et aL / System for isolating nuclear power plants
limit vertical deformations of the raft to low values.
When a base-isolated power plant contains liquids
with free surfaces, the possibility of excessive wave
action should be investigated. In some cases a change
of container geometry, or the introduction of baffles,
may be beneficial.
The base isolator does not reduce vertical earth-
quake forces, but these are normally substantially
lower than the horizontal forces, and they are less
subject to magnification by structural resonance.
Many power plant components, such as vertical fuel
elements, have high strength and low deformability
under vertical forces. Moreover, with greatly reduced
horizontal earthquake forces other components may
be modified or re-oriented to increase their resistance
to vertical forces. On the other hand some power
plant components have a high resistance to all seismic
forces, conferred by provisions for other contingen-
cies. Steam turbines are designed to withstand the
forces arising from the loss of blades; alternators are
designed for the forces generated by fault currents;
and some components are designed for high internal
pressures.
With all components within the power plant
building given a high level of protection against earth-
quake forces there is a very low likelihood of earth-
quake-induced nuclear accidents, or of costly damage
and prolonged stoppages.
6. Discussion
For protection against non-earthquake causes of
failure, nuclear power plants are provided with several
back-up safety systems, and the independence of the
modes of failure of these systems is an essential factor
in their high overall reliability. However, the earth-
quake attacks all the plant components simultaneous-
ly, including the control and safety systems, and
therefore it is particularly hazardous. Undetected
deterioration of a set of components may further in-
crease the probability of multiple failures during an
earthquake. It is therefore very important to give a
high level of protection against the concerted attack
of earthquake forces.
A very high reliability can be achieved for base-
isolator components on the basis of extensive labora-
tory tests. Moreover, there are a very large number
of dampers operating in parallel and even the failure
of 20% of them would result in little deterioration
of the isolator performance. Again, if later knowledge
shows that a particular power plant would have im-
proved earthquake resistance with modified isolator
characteristics, or with later components of improved
performance, then it would be practical to introduce
such changes.
The cost-effectiveness of a base-isolation system
falls rapidly with increasing severity of the design
earthquakes, and it should have a very low value for
nuclear power plants in areas of high seismicity. More-
over, base isolation can achieve a reduction of earth-
quake risk to a level which cannot be achieved with-
out isolation since it is inherently safer to exclude
very severe earthquake forces from a nuclear power
plant than to accept them and attempt to provide
for their consequences.
Appendix
Designs for basic and composite hysteretic damp-
ers suitable for use in the base isolation system of a
nuclear power plant may be based on recent data [8].
The approximate characteristics of basic torsional-
beam dampers of the type shown in fig. 7(a) are
given as:
tan 0 = RG, tan q~= R(A 1 + A 2PD), (A1, A2)
Q = H(B 1 + B2PD), em = PD, (A3, A4)
where the geometrical factors are
0.609 b 3 t 3
R r2( l+ 1-5t)(b2 +t2) m "
p = 0.912(b - 0.6t) bt in._ 1 ,
r(l + 1.5t)(b 2 + t 2)
H = [t2(3b - t)]/3r in. 2 ,
and in which b, t and l are the beam width, thickness
and length, respectively (one side, fig. 7(a)); em is the
nominal maximum strain; r the lever length (from
beam axis); and D the maximum lever deflection.
The approximate material factors for the steel
 R.L Skinner et al. / System for isolating nuclear power plants 297

beams used in a number of models and p r o t o t y p e s [8] and increase in Q'. Damper arrangements with n
were: equal to 1, 2 and 4 are shown in figs 8, 9 and 11.

= 9 X 10 6 lb/in. 2 ,
References
A 1 = 1.0 X 106 lb/in. 2 , A 2 = - 1 5 . 5 X 106 lb/in. 2 , [1] N.M. Newmark, Earthquake response analysis of reactor
structures, Nucl. Eng. Des. 20 (1971) 303-322.
[2] R.L Skinner, D.W.C. Skilton and D.A. Laws, Un-
B 1=1.04× 1041b/in. 2 . B2=42X 1041b/in. 2 , balanced buildings and buildings with light towers,
under earthquake forces, Proc., 3rd World Conference
To achieve a life of several hundred cycles, the on Earthquake Engineering, Auckland and Wellington,
following damper proportions and nominal maximum New Zealand, Vol. 2 (1965) 586-604.
[ 3 ] J. Penzien, Earthquake response of irregularly shaped
strain have been adopted: buildings, Proc., 4th World Conference on Earthquake
Engineering, Santiago, Chile, Vol. 2, A3 (1969) 75-89.
b = 4t, 1 = 5t, r > 7t, e m = 0.0275. [4] J. Hornbuckle et al., Forced vibration tests and analysis
(AS) of nuclear power plants, Nucl. Eng. Des. 25 (1973)
Substituting these values into eqs ( A 1 ) - ( A 4 ) and 51-93.
[5] R.I. Skinner, J.L. Beck and G.N. Bycroft, A practical
rearranging system for isolating structures from earthquake attack,
Int. J. Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn. 3 (1975) 297-309.
r = 5.524 D i n . , (A6) [6] R.I. Skinner and G.H. McVerry, Base isolation for in-
creased earthquake resistance of buildings, Bull. NZ
Q = 1.457 x 104 t3/D lb , (A7) Soc. Earthquake Eng. 8 (2) (1975) 93-101.
[7] J.L. Beck and R.I. Skinner, The seismic response of a
reinforced concrete bridge pier designed to step, Int. J.
(tan O)/Q = 7.138//3 in. - 1 , (A8) Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn. 2 (1974) 343-358.
[8] R.I. Skinner, J.M. Kelly and A.J. Heine, Hysteretic
(tan O)/Q = 0.4553//3 in. - 1 , (A9) dampers for earthquake-resistant structures, Int. J.
Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn. 3 (1975) 287-296.
The deflection D is 24/n when a required overall [9] R.I. Skinner, J.M. Kelly and A.J. Heine, Energy ab-
sorption devices for earthquake resistant structures,
deflection o f 24 in. is obtained from n pairs of basic Proc., 5th World Conference on Earthquake Engineer-
dampers connected in series. When this value for D ing, Rome, Italy, Vol. 2 (1973) 2924-2933.
and appropriate assumed values for the beam thick- [10] W.H. Robinson and L.R. Greenbank, An extrusion
ness t are substituted in eqs ( A 5 ) - ( A 9 ) , then the di- energy absorber suitable for the protection of structures
during an earthquake (to be published in Int. J. Earth-
mensions of each unit damper and the characteristics
quake Eng. Struct. Dyn.).
of the composite damper, consisting o f n pairs of [11] J.N. Mulay and H.W. Wahl, Structural and layout
basic dampers in series, are as given in table A1 (where considerations for a nuclear power plant in a high
primed symbols are used for the parameters o f the seismic area, Proc., American Power Conference, Vol.
composite dampers). 35 (1973) 110-124.
[12] P.B. Lindley, Engineering design with natural rubber,
F o r the higher values of r/t the value lit could be
N.R. Technical Bulletin, 3rd edn, Natural Rubber
increased b e y o n d 5 with a consequent decrease in r Producers Association, London (1 q'/m

Table A1.

n D (in.) r (in.) t (in.) b (in.) I (in.) r/t Q' (lb) tan O'/Q' (in_ 1) tan 0'/Q' (in.-1 )

1 24 132 6 24 30 22 262 X 103 0.297 0.019

2 12 66 4.5 18 22.5 14.7 222 X 103 0.297 0.019
4 6 33 3.75 15 18.75 8.8 256 X 10 a 0.297 0.019
6 4 22 3 12 15 7.3 196 X 103 0.297 0.019