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On February 24th, after 8 months of design, analysis and installation, the SERA SPIF (Seismic Performance of multi-component systems in special risk Industrial Facilities) shake table experimental campaign will enter in the main testing phases.

The objective of the project is the holistic investigation of the seismic behaviour of industrial plants equipped with complex process technology by means of shaking table tests. The necessity exists, since past earthquakes have shown that critical interactions can occur in these plants between the supporting structure and plant components, but also between the individual plant components. The structural or process-related interactions can lead to serious secondary damages, which, in addition to loss of production, also pose a danger to humans and the environment if hazardous substances are released due to leakages. The structure is a three-storey steel moment frame with vertical and horizontal vessels, arranged on the three levels with some of them connected to each other by pipes. Furthermore an electrical cabinet and a typical conveyor system are installed. The three levels are constructed with flexible diaphragm made of steel beams. Furthermore the effectiveness of a base isolation system will be investigated. The test structure is equipped with sensor systems integrated into the structure for rapid damage assessment applicable for condition analyses or early warning systems. The achieved results on the seismic behaviour of multi-component systems with mutual interactions can be used for probabilistic safety analyses in power plants (e.g. nuclear power plants) as well as in industrial plants (e.g. chemical plants). In addition, important findings can be derived for the definition of performance limits, the isolation of structural systems and components and the use of sensor systems for rapid damage assessment.