Grouping effect on the seismic response of cabinet facility considering primary-secondary structure interaction

Structural modification in the electrical cabinet is investigated by a proposed procedure that comprises of an experimental, analytical and numerical solution. This research emphasizes the linear dynamic analysis of the cabinet that is studied under the seismic excitation to demonstrate the real behavior of the cabinets in NPP. To this end, an actual electric cabinet is experimentally tested using an impact hammer test which reveals the fundamental parameters of the cabinet. The Frequency-domain decomposition (FDD) method is used to extract the dynamic properties of the cabinet from the experiment which is then used for numerical modeling. To validate the dynamic properties of the cabinet an analytical solution is suggested. The calibrated model is analyzed under the floor response obtained from the Connecticut nuclear power plant structure excited by Tabas 1978 (Mw 7.4) earthquake. Eventually, the grouping effect of the cabinets is proposed which represents the influence on the dynamic modification. This grouping of the cabinets is described more sophisticatedly by the theoretical understating, which results in a significant change in the seismic response. Considering the grouping effects will be helpful in the assessment of the real seismic behavior, design, and performance of cabinets. (C) 2019 Korean Nuclear Society, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC.