Analyses of reactor building by 3D nonlinear FEM models considering basemat uplift for simultaneous horizontal and vertical ground motions

Abstract: The nonlinear behavior of basemat uplift, which is an important point in seismic designs of nuclear power plants in Japan, has been investigated by arranging joint elements between the reactor building basemat and the soil on a three-dimensional (hereafter referred to as 3D) FEM model of the soil. However, the nonlinearity of the basemat uplift has been investigated separately from the nonlinearity of reactor buildings. These nonlinearities have yet to be taken into account simultaneously in past studies. In this paper, models of the building and the soil using 3D FEM elements with consideration to the nonlinearity of building materials as well as the nonlinearity of the basemat uplift were subjected. The behavior of the building''s elements were investigated by carrying out seismic response analyses for horizontal ground motions only, as well as for simultaneous horizontal and vertical ground motions using these models. As a result, it was found that there was little difference in the horizontal response of the building between the horizontal input motions only and the simultaneous horizontal and vertical input motions. The effects of the vertical ground motions on the basemat uplift behavior which is represented by the ground contact ratio were also slight. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]