Investigating the influence of analysis parameters in three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element analysis of a gate-type piping support structure

Takito, Kiyotaka ; Okuda, Yukihiko  ; Nishida, Akemi  ; Li, Y. 

In probabilistic risk assessment against earthquakes (seismic PRA), one of the important issues is the development of a realistic response analysis method for evaluating the fragility of equipment and piping systems subject to input ground motions exceeding design assumption. Particularly, piping systems have complex plant-specific three-dimensional geometries. The arrangement and rigidity of piping support structures have significant impact on the response characteristics of the entire piping system. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a seismic response analysis method for piping systems, including piping support structures. To this end, the authors have been working on the development of elasto-plastic analysis method for piping support structures in order to establish a realistic response analysis method for piping systems including piping support structures. In this study, parametric studies on important analytical parameters were conducted to understand the influence of the analytical parameters on the deformation in the elasto-plastic analysis of piping support structures. At first, a three-dimensional finite element analysis model was created for cyclic loading tests of a gate type piping support structure assuming large deformations. Using the model, parametric studies were conducted for analysis parameters such as yield stress, secondary stiffness and element size. As the result, the influences of the analysis parameters on the analysis results were quantitatively clarified, which provided insight into the methodology for setting appropriate analysis parameters on elasto-plastic analysis for piping support structures.