Experimental Verification of the Behavior of Protective Steel Liner of Concrete Containment

Abstract

Containment is the last barrier protecting the environment from contamination in case of serious accident in nuclear power plant. Steel liner is often used to guarantee leaktightness of concrete containment and therefore the design of the liner must be done with utmost care. Several methods are used in practice to anchor the liner plate to concrete containment wall, differing in layout and type of anchorage elements used. The anchorage system must ensure full connection of the liner to the wall, liner buckling and tearing have to be prevented. The objective of the research was to determine the behavior of typical details of steel liner of concrete containment subjected to axial and shear loads. Two types of experiments were proposed. The first one was aimed at defining the response of two different types of liner anchorage system – L-profiles and headed studs – to the axial loads imposed on the liner plate. Behavior of specimens with and without initial imperfection of the steel plate was also compared. The goal of the second experiment was to determine the shear load-bearing capacity of the anchorage and to verify that liner tearing will not occur before the failure of the anchorage – this one of the main conditions of the safe design. The experimental program was successfully executed and the results are presented in the paper.