Shaking Table Tests With Large Test Specimens of Seismically Isolated FBR Plants: Part 3—Ultimate Behavior of Upper Structure and Rubber Bearings

Abstract

This paper describes results of shaking table tests to grasp ultimate behavior of seismic isolation system under extremely strong earthquake motions, including failure of rubber bearings. The results of the shaking table tests are expected to be useful for the design of seismically isolated nuclear facilities, especially fast breeder reactor (FBR) plants. In the test, lead rubber bearings, of which the diameter is 505 mm and about 1/3 scale of a prototype in planning FBR plants, are used; the test specimens are loaded by the largest three-dimensional shaking table in E-defense of National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) of Japan. Failure of rubber bearings occurs with amplified tentative design earthquake motions. From the tests, the ultimate responses of the upper structure and rubber bearings are presented. In particular, the change of floor response spectra and restoring force characteristics of rubber bearings according to increase of input motions is discussed. Furthermore, mechanism of the failure of rubber bearings is investigated from the observation of failure surfaces and cut sections, static loading tests, and material tests of rubber bearings. Finally, the function of seismic isolation system after the failure of a part of rubber bearings is confirmed under the tentative design earthquake.