Defects in pipe supports attached to concrete structures at Finnish nuclear power plants

The Installation defects in expansion anchors of pipe supports detected in Sweden attracted the attention of the Finnish nuclear authority, the IRP in the autumm of 1979. No serious deficiencies were found at TVO I and II units where expansion anchors tightened by torguing are used. Preliminary inspections at Lo 2 construction plant revealed a great number of defectively installed expansion anchors of the type which is tightened by hitting. This resulted in placing Lo 1 unit into a cold shut-down condition for inspections and reparation. The shut-down lasted for three weeks during which time, in rooms inaccessible during operation, about 2000 expansion anchors were checked and 95% of them repaired or modified. After running up Lo 1 unit, the work continued in accessible rooms and at Lo2 unit for several months. The main fault was the failure to hit the anchor wedge deep enough into its cylinder. A contributing factor may have been too small hole diameters. The anchor tensile tests conducted at the site proved that the insufficient penetration of the wedge drastically reduces the load capacity. (orig./GL)