Halcrow was commissioned by British Energy to undertake an assessment to identify floors of the Heysham A nuclear power station that can provide protection against dropped loads hazards.
For this project Halcrow undertook an impact assessment, followed by an update of the relevant Equipment Qualification Schedules at the power station.
The floor impact assessment was conducted using the R3 Impact Assessment Procedure and the finite element software package ANSYS/LS-DYNA.
The assessment developed a strategy for concrete floor assessment in areas with lifting equipment. The aims were to check the structural behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs under impact and to verify the dynamic strength of the floor slabs which were identified as critical and potentially vulnerable.
The applied assessment methods had to be adapted to take into account the expected non-linear structural behaviour. The degree of damage caused to structural components by impact ranged from surface cracking through spalling and scabbing to complete perforation.