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

Laboratory piping system vibration tests to determine parametric effects on damping in the seismic frequency range

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6771194

A pipe damping research program is being conducted for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory to establish more realistic, best-estimate damping values for use in dynamic structural analyses of piping systems. As part of this program, tests were conducted on a 5-in. (128 mm ID) laboratory piping system to determine the effects of pressure, support configuration, insulation and response amplitude on damping. The tests were designed to produce a wide range of damping values, from very low damping in lightly excited uninsulated systems with few supports, to higher damping under conditions of either/or insulation, high level excitation, and various support arrangements. The effect of pressure at representative seismic levels was considered to be minimal. The supports influence damping at all excitation levels; damping was highest when a mechanical snubber was present in the system. The addition of insulation produced a large increase in damping for the hydraulic shaker excitation tests, but there was no comparable increase for the snapback excitation tests. Once a response amplitude of approximately one-half yield stress was reached, overall damping increased to relatively high levels (>10% of critical).

Research Organization:
EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-76ID01570
OSTI ID:
6771194
Report Number(s):
EGG-M-16486; CONF-870636-7; ON: DE87009394
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English