Response reduction effect of seismic isolation system considering uncertainty parameters for seismic margin assessment

Yamano, Hidemasa   ; Okamura, Shigeki*

Seismic response analyses were conducted for the pipe with and without the seismic isolation system based on the response waveforms. This study performed a fragility analysis by setting uncertainty parameters on the basis of existing studies. The comparison results showed that the seismic isolation technology is effective for the pipe to prevent cliff-edge effects. In other words, the seismic margin for the seismically isolated plant is 1.2 times larger than that of the non-isolated plant. To evaluate the response reduction effect, this study focused on response coefficients of components as uncertainty parameters, which were specified within a physically possible range. Even if the uncertainty is considered, the HCLPF for the isolated plant is nearly twice as high as the non-isolated plant, namely the response reduction effect is still significant for the isolated plant. Therefore, the isolation technology is effective to avoid cliff-edge effects.