Nonlinear seismic analysis of CANDU containment structure subjected to scenario earthquakes

In this study, the seismic safety of a CANDU containment structure is estimated by performing the nonlinear seismic analysis for the scenario earthquakes. The lumped mass model of the containment building was developed for a nonlinear dynamic time history analysis. The tri-linear skeleton curve was used for the nonlinear behavior of the prestressed concrete containment building. In order to estimate the inelastic nonlinear response of the containment, the maximum point oriented model was used for the hysteretic rule of the shear deformation. Three kinds of earthquake ground motions which represent the design earthquake ground motion for the Korean nuclear power plants, the probability based scenario earthquakes for the Korean nuclear power plant sites and the 30 set of real near-fault earthquake records were used as the input motion. The seismic response of the containment for the design earthquake is compared with the responses for the probability based scenario earthquake and the near-fault earthquake record. The floor response of the structure was estimated to evaluate the seismic safety of the safety related equipment installed in the building. (authors)