Impact analysis of three-dimensional frame structures; An Application for piping structures of a nuclear power plant

Nishida, Akemi  

Because some accidents caused by high-frequency vibrations of piping have been recently reported, the clarification of the dynamic behavior of the piping structure during operation is imperative in order to avoid such accidents. The aim of our research is to develop detailed analysis tools and to determine the dynamic behavior of piping systems in nuclear power plants, which are complicated assemblages of different parts. In this study, a three-dimensional frame element for wave propagation analysis is formulated by using the spectral element method based on the Timoshenko beam theory. An application example to the wave propagation analysis and eigenvalue analysis for one of the piping systems of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) of The Oarai Research and Development Center, JAEA, is shown. Further, a multi-connected structure is analyzed and compared with the experimental results. Consequently, the applicability of the SEM is shown.