Piping system subjected to seismic hard rock high frequencies

This paper addresses the influence of support gaps in the analyses of a piping system when subjected to a seismic hard rock high-frequency load. The system is located within the reactor containment building of a nuclear power plant and is assessed to be susceptible to high-frequency loads. The stress response of the pipe and the acceleration response of the valves are evaluated for different support gap sizes. It is shown that the inclusion of the support gaps in the analyses reduces the stress response for almost all pipe elements. On the other hand, the acceleration response of the valves is not necessarily reduced by the consideration of the gaps.