Response Modification of Critical Infrastructure with Supplemental Damping and Isolation Devices

Researchers: Sarven Akçelyan
Project Sponsors: FQRNT Établissement de nouveaux chercheurs

• Earthquake induced failures in nuclear power plant facilities can have devastating, far-reaching and long-term consequences affecting the health and well-being of large segments of the world’s population. After the 2011 earthquake in Japan that affected the Fukushima Daichi nuclear facility, the issue of revisiting the safety criteria for the seismic design of nuclear power plants was raised in Canada. It is understood that avoiding seismic damage to these facilities and their secondary systems is necessary if we are to avoid the devastating economic and human losses after a major earthquake. The Canadian nuclear seismic design code provides guidelines for the seismic design of Canadian nuclear power plants. However, the existing design process is time consuming, extremely costly and uncertainties related to the impact of site-specific seismic locations still remain. This research project builds on a thorough evaluation of the seismic hazard in Quebec and Ontario, state-of-the-art analytical methods and tools, concepts and data of uncertainty propagation and performance assessment of buildings. Through the utilization of advanced technologies for response modification of buildings during an earthquake, alternative ways to maintain or improve safety and continuous functionality of Canadian nuclear power plants and their key secondary systems after the safe shutdown earthquake.

Selected Publications:

1. Lignos, D.G. (2012). “Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Full Scale 5-Story Steel Building Equipped With Tripple Friction Pendulum Bearings: E-Defense Blind Analysis Competition,” Proceedings 9th, International Conference on Urban Earthquake Engineering (9CUEE) & 4th Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Tokyo, Japan March 6th - 8th, 2012