Development of a Test Validated Methodology for Predicting Concrete Containment Leakage

by R. A. Dameron, ANATECH Research Corp, United States,
R. S. Dunham, ANATECH Research Corp, United States,
Y. R. Rashid, ANATECH Research Corp, United States,
H. T. Tang, ANATECH Research Corp, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Structural Design, Analysis and Testing

Abstract:

In the past several years, considerable research effort has been devoted by the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to the behavior of reactor containments under severe accident loadings. This paper presents results from the EPRI-sponsored program for concrete containment structures. The evidence gathered during the experimental and analytical phases of the program, which was later confirmed by a test of a 1:6 scale model of a reinforced concrete containment performed for NRC by Sandia, clearly supports leakage rather than burst as the most likely failure mode. The dominant failure mechanism was found to be liner rupture caused by the interaction of the liner and its anchorage system with the concrete at major stiffness discontinuities. On the basis of this work, failure criteria and an analysis methodology for predicting concrete containment leakage has been developed.

Subject Headings: Reinforced concrete | Failure analysis | Water leakage and water loss | Steel structures | Steel construction | Material tests | Material failures

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