Numerical investigation on postulated aircraft crash to tokamak building

• Published in: Fusion engineering and design 2021-12, Vol.173, p.112958, Article 112958
• Main Authors: Kim, Tae-Yong, Chang, Yoon-Suk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aircraft; Aircraft accidents; Aircraft crash; Concrete structures; Dynamic loading; Dynamic loads; Electromagnetic radiation; Finite element; Finite element method; Hazards; Human influences; Impact loads; Impact velocity; Nuclear safety; Numerical models; Radioactive materials; Rebar; Reinforced concrete; Rigid walls; Smooth particle hydrodynamics; Smoothed-particle hydrodynamics; Structural integrity; Tokamak devices
• ISSN: 0920-3796; 1873-7196
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fusengdes.2021.112958

•A commercial aircraft model was developed and validated through FTHA and MTIA.•Postulated aircraft crash to tokamak building was evaluated by SPH-FE coupling method.•Damage of concrete and embedded rebar was quantified under comprehensive conditions.•Sensitivity analyses were performed to rank significance of four independent variables. Nuclear structures, systems and components important to safety should be adequately protected against diverse internal and external hazards. As part of the effort, a few comprehensive guidelines to deal with human-induced events were established and individual researches to assess fissile plant containment buildings under plausible aircraft colliding conditions were carried out. In relation to developing fusion plants, soundness of major structures as a barrier should also be ensured to prevent disaster due to potential external hazards as well as internal hazards like the leakage of radioactive material and electromagnetic waves. The objective of this study is to examine structural integrity of postulated tokamak building taking into account dynamic loading derived from aircraft collision process. The numerical models of aircraft and reinforced concrete structure were made in use of smoothed-particle hydrodynamics and finite element methods. Appropriateness of time-dependent impact force and impulse histories was verified through comparison between preliminary analysis data for a rigid wall and those obtained from Riera method. Systematic analyses of aircraft crash onto the tokamak building were performed under hypothetical scenarios with different variables such as impact velocities, angles and rebar diameters. As results, basic engineering parameters such as stresses and strains of the rebar were calculated, and damage of the concrete was estimated. Further sensitivity analyses were performed and effects of each numerical input were discussed in terms of the significant.