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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Methods for ultimate load analysis of concrete containments

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5630275

The objective of the research project described in this interim report is to develop a qualified methodology for the ultimate load analysis of concrete containment structures. The EPRI-sponsored nonlinear finite element code ABAQUS-EPGEN, which has recently been modified to incorporate a constitutive model for plain concrete and modeling capabilities for reinforced and prestressed concrete containments, is utilized as the structural analysis tool in this development. The ABAQUS-EPGEN concrete modeling and analysis capabilities are first evaluated by comparing measured data with code predictions for full-scale reinforced concrete slab specimens tested under uniaxial and biaxial tension. These specimen tests simulate the behavior of the cylindrical wall of a typical concrete containment structure under internal pressure. The calculated and measured strain comparisons are used to improve the constitutive model and to qualify the code for concrete containment analysis. The second part of this effort deals with the ultimate load analysis of reinforced and prestressed containments to determine bounds on the global overpressure capacities of typical concrete containment structures. The third part of this effort further examines such local effects through a substructural analysis of the liner-concrete interaction at major concrete cracks.

Research Organization:
Anatech International Corp., La Jolla, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
5630275
Report Number(s):
EPRI-NP-4046; ON: TI85920725
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English