PIPING SYSTEMS OF INDUSTRIAL PLANTS SUBJECTED TO AXIAL AND SEISMIC INPUTS

Recent middle and intense seismic events worldwide have demonstrated that although current building regulations can significantly reduce human losses, earthquakes can still cause significant economic and functionality losses, affecting the resilience capacity of communities. A considerable portion of these direct and indirect economic losses are generated by affectation on business and industrial facilities. The latter are of special interest due to their high seismic vulnerability, leading to seismic-induced Na-Tech events (Natural Hazard Triggering Technological Disasters). Piping systems in industrial plants transport liquid and gases among different components. Any induced damage to these systems can lead to leakage of hazardous substances, which can cause fires, explosions, or starting a cascade effect along the industrial plant. Due to the complexity and vast possibilities of components and configurations of piping systems in industrial plants, there is a need for a better understanding of their seismic response; therefore, this study presents some of the results obtained from the experimental campaign conducted under the “MITPLANT- Seismic risk analysis and mitigation of industrial plants” project, in which several piping configurations were tested under axial and seismic inputs. These results are crucial for the development of calibrated numerical models and the seismic assessment and design of industrial plants.