Seismic response of buried nuclear power plant in sand based on centrifuge tests

Abstract

In this paper, centrifuge shaking table tests were performed to evaluate the seismic response of the nuclear power plant buried in dry sand site. Based on the principle of similarity of stiffness and mass, a simplified buried nuclear power structure was firstly designed. The developed simplification methodology and similarity theory enable experimental investigation of large, complex structures. And then, centrifuge shaking table tests were carried out to evaluate seismic response of a nuclear power plant buried in dry sand site. Results show that as excitation levels increase (0.2g, 0.35g, and 0.5g), both site and structural responses increase, accompanied by a decrease in the system's dominant frequency and a growing difference between site and structural accelerations. The structure exhibits excellent seismic performance, remaining elastic under 0.5g loading with a maximum strain of 658 με. However, significant and asynchronous site and structural settlements (up to 680 mm and 440 mm, respectively, at 0.5g) raise concerns regarding potential impacts on the functionality of the power plant and connected infrastructure. These findings contribute to nuclear power plant siting assessments and provide valuable validation data for numerical modeling.