Note of the Seismic Reviewer

Acceptance Criteria of Stresses determined by the Finite Elements Analysis of

Seismic Stoppers – Santa Fé Recovery Boiler Body

1 .- Structural Analysis with Finite Shell Elements,

The normal structural analysis of linear elements - beams columns, braces, etc - assumes
that the sections remain plane, which results in determination of stresses that adequately
represent the average stress in the flanges and webs of H, C and box sections. Experience
show that the formulas established by AISC predict correctly the structural performance of
those elements. However, several second order effects, as local bending and non uniform
distribution of stresses, are not explicitly considered. When the linear elements are
represented through shell finite elements , the assumption of plane sections, which is not
fully real, is not considered, and the second order local effects appear in the determination
of stresses. Thus, it is necessary to introduce additional criteria to judge the acceptability of
the calculated stresses.

2.- ASME and AISC codes.

The ASME code recognizes the capacity of membrane structures to redistribute the stresses
once a portion of the shell yields. So, it establishes different allowable stresses for different
stress states: global membrane stresses, local membrane stresses, bending stresses local and
global. It also classifies the stresses in primary, if the failure determines a local or global
collapse, and secondary, if the yield of a certain area produce a distribution of stresses,
without collapse. Bending is normally considered secondary. The ratio of the allowable
local to global membrane stresses is 1,5 . Also the ratio of allowable global membrane
stress to membrane plus bending ( secondary) is 3,0. The configuration of the membrane
structures included in ASME - normally cylindrical, spherical or similar vessels – differs of
the linear structures, but the distinction of types of stresses that it makes is valid for
structures that are capable of distributing the stresses and that are analyzed trough finite
shell elements, as it is the case of the seismic stoppers of the boiler body.
The allowable stresses specified by AISC defines correctly the average level of the stress in
flanges and webs , but they do not consider the distribution capacity of the structure, which
can be ample enough as to produce a very big difference between the load that causes the
initial yielding and the load that produces the last yielding that leads to collapse. This is
specially so in the box section members that make the link between the back-stays and the
boiler wall.
Taking this into consideration a special acceptance criteria must be established to judge the
adequacy of the designs of the seismic stoppers, including the concepts of local or global
stresses, membrane or combined membrane plus bending.

3.- Special acceptance criteria for the stoppers analysis and design.

It is necessary first to define and introduce the concept of average stress. In a plate, that is
part of an open or hollow section, the global average stress can be taken as the average of
the stresses of the finite elements that end in a same line ; local average stress is the
average of the maximum stress determined in a certain element and the stresses in the
adjacent one or two finite elements that end in a same line, depending of the size of the
plate and the number of elements.
The stresses calculated in the analysis are membrane or membrane plus bending, and are
indicated for each finite element. For both levels of stresses, the concept of average and
local or global stresses can be applied.
According to the above concepts the following allowable stresses are defined for this set of
calculations of boiler body stoppers , starting from the basic levels of average stresses “fd”
established by AISC:
- global membrane stresses : 1,0 fd
- local membrane stress : 1,20 fd
- global membrane plus bending : 1,33 fd.
- local membrane plus bending : 1,5 fd.
These allowable stresses appear to be more stringent that those defined by ASME, but are
consistent with the designs justified by AISC in structures composed of linear elements,
when analyzed by normal methods, without finite elements representations.

4.- Seismic forces and basic allowable stresses.

In this project , though the forces included in the analysis are seismic, the allowed 33%
increase in the basic values of the allowable stresses is not intended to be applied, in order
to create an extra safety respect to the building structural members . This leads to
allowable stresses “ fd “ of 0,6 Fy for non compact elements and 0,66 Fy for compact. This
condition can be taken into account, together with the stress distribution capacity of the
whole design, when judging the acceptability of the determined stresses. Thus, stresses that
exceed less than 10% the above indicated limits could still be accepted, provided that the
distribution capacity of the design is ample and clear.

Iván Darrigrande
Seismic Reviewer.