• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.181-190
• /
• 2022

In assessing the seismic safety of nuclear power plants, it is essential to analyze the structures using the observed ground motion. In particular, spatial variation in which the characteristics of the ground motion record differ may occur if the location is different within the site and even if the same earthquake is experienced. This study analyzed the spatial variation characteristics of the ground motion observed at the structure and site using the earthquake records measured at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant. Even if they were located on the same floor within the same unit, there was a difference in response depending on the location. In addition, amplification was observed in Unit 5 compared to other units, which was due to the rock layer having a slower shear wave velocity than the surrounding bedrock. Significant differences were also found in the records of the structure's foundation and the free-field surface. Based on these results, the necessity of considering spatial variation in the observed records was suggested.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2002

The structural safety required in general design is to be proved with safety factors provided for structural members in elastic range. But, for the safety requirement in the earthquake resistant design, a specific ductile failure mechanism in plastic range should be verified according to the structural configuration. Therefore such verifications should be done in the preliminary design stage by comparing various design alternatives. In the main design stage only a confirmation of the ductile failure mechanism is required. In this study typical roadway bridges are selected and analysis models are presented for the preliminary and main design. For the two models, vibration periods and mode shapes are compared and the multi-mode spectrum method is applied to determine failure mechanisms. The failure mechanisms obtained with the two models are compared to check the properness of the model used for the preliminary design, which may well be used as an earthquake resistant analysis model in practice.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.19-25
• /
• 2022

Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) should be designed to have sufficient safety margins and to ensure seismic safety against earthquake that may occur during the plant life time. After the 9.12 Gyeongju earthquake accident, the structural integrity of nuclear power plants due to the beyond design basis earthquake is one of key safety issues. Accordingly, it is necessary to conduct structural integrity evaluations for domestic NPPs under beyond design basis earthquake. In this study, the Level 3 LBB (Leak Before Break) evaluation was performed by considering the beyond design basis earthquake for the surge line of a OPR1000 plant of which design basis earthquake was set to be 0.2g. The beyond design basis earthquake corresponding to peak ground acceleration 0.4g at the maximum stress point of the surge line was considered. It was confirmed that the moment behaviors of the hot leg and pressurized surge nozzle were lower than the maximum allowable loading in moment-rotation curve. It was also confirmed that the LBB margin could be secured by comparing the LBB margin through the Level 2 method. It was judged that the margin was secured by reducing the load generated through the compliance of the pipe.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.59-65
• /
• 2020

The empirical Green's function method is applied to the foreshock and the mainshock of the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake to simulate strong ground motions of the mainshock and scenario earthquake at seismic stations of seven metropolises in South Korea, respectively. To identify the applicability of the method in advance, the mainshock is simulated, assuming the foreshock as the empirical Green's function. As a result of the simulation, the overall shape, the amplitude of PGA, and the duration and response spectra of the simulated seismic waveforms are similar with those of the observed seismic waveforms. Based on this result, a scenario earthquake on the causative fault of Gyeongju earthquake with a moment magnitude 6.5 is simulated, assuming that the mainshock serves as the empirical Green's function. As a result, the amplitude of PGA and the duration of simulated seismic waveforms are significantly increased and extended, and the spectral amplitude of the low frequency band is relatively increased compared with that of the high frequency band. If the empirical Green's function method is applied to several recent well-recorded moderate earthquakes, the simulated seismic waveforms can be used as not only input data for developing ground motion prediction equations, but also input data for creating the design response spectra of major facilities in South Korea.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.233-240
• /
• 2021

The stochastic method is applied to simulate strong ground motions at seismic stations of seven metropolises in South Korea, creating an earthquake scenario based on the causative fault of the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake. Input parameters are established according to what has been revealed so far for the causative fault of the Gyeongju earthquake, while the ratio of differences in response spectra between observed and simulated strong ground motions is assumed to be an adjustment factor. The calculations confirm the applicability and reproducibility of strong ground motion simulations based on the relatively small bias in response spectra between observed and simulated strong ground motions. Based on this result, strong ground motions by a scenario earthquake on the causative fault of the Gyeongju earthquake with moment magnitude 6.5 are simulated, assuming that the ratios of its fault length to width are 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1. The results are similar to those of the empirical Green's function method. Although actual site response factors of seismic stations should be supplemented later, the simulated strong ground motions can be used as input data for developing ground motion prediction equations and input data for calculating the design response spectra of major facilities in South Korea.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.7
• /
• pp.2529-2539
• /
• 2022

Stochastic and an empirical Green's function (EGF) methods are preliminarily applied to simulate strong ground motions (SGMs) at seismic stations within nuclear power plant (NPP) sites in South Korea by an assumed large earthquake with M_W6.5 (scenario earthquake) on the causative fault of the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake with M_W5.5 (mainshock). In the stochastic method, a ratio of spectral amplitudes of observed and simulated waveforms for the mainshock is assumed to be an adjustment factor. In the EGF method, SGMs by the mainshock are simulated assuming SGMs by the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake with M_W5.0 (foreshock) as the EGF. To simulate SGMs by the scenario earthquake, a ratio of fault length to width is assumed to be 2:1 in the stochastic method, and SGMs by the mainshock are assumed to be EGF in the EGF method. The results are similar based on a bias of the simulated response spectra by the two methods, and the simulated response spectra by the two methods exceeded commonly standard design response spectra anchored at 0.3 g of NPP sites slightly at a frequency band above 4 Hz, but considerable attention to interpretation is required since it is an indirect comparison.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 1999.10a
• /
• pp.113-120
• /
• 1999

When we design the large rockfill dams the safety of dams against the quake must be considered. Generally pseudostatic analysis method has been used for slope stability and evaluation of safety but the case of dynamic response analysis of earthquake was not in general in Korea. Therefore we need to perform the dynamic response analysis of rockfill dams from these results we analyze the dynamic behavior of dam body such as response displacement and response acceleration. consequently we analyse the selected model of rockfill dam using the FLAC-2D (FDM) program.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.101-108
• /
• 2019

The seismic safety of nuclear power plants has always been emphasized by the effects of accidents. In general, the seismic safety evaluation of nuclear power plants carries out a seismic probabilistic safety assessment. The current probabilistic safety assessment assumes that damage to the structure, system, and components (SSCs) occurs independently to each other or perfect dependently to each other. In case of earthquake events, the failure event occurs with the correlation due to the correlation between the seismic response of the SSCs and the seismic performance of the SSCs. In this study, the EEMS (External Event Mensuration System) code is developed which can perform the seismic probabilistic safety assessment considering correlation. The developed code is verified by comparing with the multiplier n, which is for calculating the joint probability of failure, which is proposed by Mankamo. It is analyzed the changes in seismic fragility curves and seismic risks with correlation. As a result, it was confirmed that the seismic fragility curves and seismic risk change according to the failure correlation coefficient. This means that it is important to select an appropriate failure correlation coefficient in order to perform a seismic probabilistic safety assessment. And also, it was confirmed that carrying out the seismic probabilistic safety assessment in consideration of the seismic correlation provides more realistic results, rather than providing conservative or non-conservative results comparing with that damage to the SSCs occurs independently.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.56-61
• /
• 2016

After Japanese Fukushima nuclear power plant accident caused by the beyond design basis earthquake and tsunami, it has turned to be a major challenge for nuclear safety. IAEA, US NRC and EU have provided new safety design standards for beyond design basis event, Domestic regulatory bodies have also enacted guidances for licensees and applicants on additional methods related to beyond design basis events. This paper describes several evaluation methods for applying to nuclear power plants piping for beyond design basis earthquake. As a results, energy method based on the absorbed energy on nuclear power plant, deterministic method following design code and theory, experience method considering past earthquake data and information and probabilistic methods similar to probabilistic risk assessment were reviewed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.20 no.3 s.71
• /
• pp.174-179
• /
• 2005

In this paper, a computational model for nonlinear crack damage analysis of concrete gravity dam-foundation boundary region subjected to earthquake loading is suggested. An enhanced model based on the Lee-Fenves plastic-damage model is used as the inelastic material model for a concrete dam structure and rock foundation. The suggested model is implemented numerically and used for computational earthquake simulation of Koyna dam, which was severly damaged from the strong earthquake in 1967. From the numerical result it is demonstrated that the suggested computational model can realistically represent crack initiation and propagation in the dam-foundation boundary region.