Effect of the plasticity of pipe and support on the seismic response of piping systems

Okuda, Takahiro; Takahashi, Hideki*; Watakabe, Tomoyoshi

In recent years, to make the seismic design more rational for the piping systems in nuclear power plants, it has been expected to develop a design method considering plastic deformation and the accompanying energy dissipation of the piping itself. In this study, an extensive series of seismic response analyses was conducted to investigate the degree of influence of the plastic deformation of the pipe support structures on the seismic response of the entire piping system. The analyses include; plasticity is considered for (1) none, (2) the piping only, (3) the support structure only, and (4) both the piping and the support structure.