Fragment Impacts

TURBINE FRAGMENT IMPACTS ON CONTAINMENT STRUCTURES

S cale-model experiments were performed at Area 2 of the remote test site with 120 o sectors of the hub of electrical generator turbines launched into steel and reinforced concrete barriers representing various power plant containment designs. The mass of the small-scale steel hub fragments ranged from 1 to 12 kg, the velocity ranged from 125 to 200 m/s, and the impact orientation included piercing and blunt. Several target parameters were varied, such as wall thickness, reinforcement in the concrete, and steel plate composite construction. High-speed movies and target response measurements provided detailed information on impact and residual velocities and target damage. Initial tests results were compared with the few full-scale data available and proved the reliability of the small-scale approach. The extended data set then guided the development of improved design formulas for barrier design.