Research on piping supports using superplastic alloys, (1)

The demand of the safety and reliability of equipment and piping in nuclear and chemical plants has become severe, consequently, the aseismatic design has become to be carried out in the principle to heighten the regidity of whole systems with supports. However, the measures for heightening rigidity do not necessarily increase the safety of structures, and in the design of support structures, it is important to keep proper balance with other stresses due to earthquakes, heat and so on. There is also an economical problem. This paper is the report of the experimental basic study on the development of new vibration-suppressing supports utilizing the energy-absorbing effect of super plastic materials. In this study, first, the dynamic characteristics and vibration-suppressing performance of superplastic Zn - 22 %Al alloy were examined quantitatively, and as an example of application, when the supports made of superplastic materials were installed for a small piping model, the response of the piping was evaluated. The method of evaluating damping characteristics, the experimental setup and experimental method, the results obtained and the evaluation of the damping performance of SPZ piping supports are reported. (Kako, I.)