DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT

FULL ARTICLE MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING

EFFECTS IN CANDU 6 CONCRETE
In nuclear power plants (NPPs), concrete containment
CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS
buildings (CCBs) provide the final physical barrier against
Yuqing Ding* and Shahzma Jaffer
the release of radioactive materials into the environment
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, Canada
and protect the nuclear structures housed within the
containment building. CCBs have to be maintained to Article Info
Keywords: Finite element modelling, nuclear power plants, concrete containment building,
ensure leak tightness and sound structural integrity for
reactor building, post-tensioning cables.
the safe operation throughout the life of NPPs. However, Article History: Received 23 February 2015, Accepted 13 April 2015, Available online
the integrity of CCBs may be affected by the ageing of its 27 May 2016.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12943/CNR.2015.00060
concrete, post-tensioning cables and reinforcing bars
*Corresponding author: Yuqing.Ding@cnl.ca
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22

(rebars). Finite element models (FEMs) of CANDU 6 CCBs

have been developed using 2 independent finite element
programs for the study of the effect of ageing of CCBs.
These FEMs have been validated using multiple-source
data and have been used for preliminary analyses of the 1. Introduction
effect of thermal load and ageing degradation on the In nuclear power plants (NPPs), concrete containment buildings (CCBs)
concrete structure. The modelling assumptions and play an important role in preventing the release of radioactive materials
simplifications, approach, and validation are discussed in into the environment and protect the nuclear structures housed within
this paper. The preliminary analyses for temperature the containment building. CCBs have to be maintained to ensure leak
For personal use only.

effects and potential applications to the study of ageing

tightness and sound structural integrity for the safe operation of NPPs.
degradation in CCBs using the FEMs are briefly
CCBs are subjected to applied loads and environmental conditions, which
introduced. may influence the concrete and steel components of CCBs. Factors such
as cyclic loading, changes in temperature, and aggressive chemicals can
impact the durability of concrete structures. Ageing degradation starts
as soon as a structure is constructed and continues over its operating life.
The ageing degradation of post-tensioned concrete structures may lead
to the loss of prestressing forces that could affect the integrity of CCBs.

The integrity of prestressed CANDU 6 CCBs is subjected to various time-

related degradation factors such as shrinkage and creep of the concrete,
stress relaxation, and deterioration [1]. For CANDU 6 CCBs, the detection
and monitoring of degradation mechanisms becomes very important as
these structures are typically designed for service lives of 30 years with
many CANDU NPPs extending their service lives to 60 years. However,
direct detection and monitoring of degradation in the grouted post-ten-
sioned (P-T) cables of CANDU 6 CCBs is currently not possible as the P-T
cables in CANDU 6 CCBs cannot be accessed to directly measure degrada-
tion in the cables because these cables are grouted. Novel inspection and
monitoring approaches are required for the evaluation of the integrity of
CANDU 6 CCBs with grouted prestressing systems. A fundamental under-
standing of the overall behaviour of CANDU 6 CCBs during long-term oper-
ations is needed to provide guidance for the development of new inspection
and monitoring approaches to ensure the integrity of CANDU 6 CCBs.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of finite element

models (FEMs) of a CANDU 6 CCB. The FEMs have been developed for a
better understanding of the overall behaviour of a CANDU 6 CCB during
normal operating conditions and leak-rate tests (LRTs) and for the study

A correction was made to the e-First version of this paper on 9 June 2016 prior to final issue publication. The current online and print versions are identical and both contain the correction.

CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW 37

 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
of the ageing degradation effects. Analysis results from FEMs
can be used to better understand the instrumentation data
collected from existing CANDU 6 CCBs and provide guidance
for the development of novel inspection and monitoring
approaches for CANDU 6 reactors. The modelling assumptions
and simplifications, approach and validation are the focus of
this paper. A brief discussion is given on the preliminary
studies of temperature load and ageing degradation effects.
2. Configuration of CANDU 6 Containment Buildings
Figure 1 presents a schematic configuration of a typical
CANDU 6 CCB, which includes a base slab, a perimeter wall,
a ring beam, an inner dome, and an upper dome [2]. The base
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
slab, perimeter wall, ring beam, and upper dome form the
containment pressure boundary and are all prestressed. In
addition, CANDU 6 CCBs include local details, such as the
buttresses for anchorage of circumferential P-T cables, pene-
trations, temporary openings, and interior structures. As
shown in Figure 1, the base slab sits on the sub-base, which
in turn is placed on bedrock. The perimeter wall is cylindrical
For personal use only.
FIGURE 1. Schematic of a CANDU 6 CCB [2].
38
in shape. The ring beam forms a transition component
between the upper dome and the perimeter wall, and it acts
as a support for the upper dome, the top of the perimeter
wall, and the lower dome. There is a hinge connection
between the perimeter wall and the base slab.
Figure 2 presents a schematic layout of P-T cables in a
CANDU 6 CCB and shows that the base slab is post-tensioned
with 2 layers of cables, the perimeter wall has both vertical
and horizontal (circumferential) cables, and the upper dome
has 3 layers of cables [2]. Four vertical buttresses, of thick-
ness equal to that of the ring beam, are attached to the
perimeter wall at right angles from each other. The ends
(anchor heads) of the horizontal P-T cables in the perimeter
wall are placed in the buttresses. The vertical P-T cables in
the wall are anchored in the ring beam (top) and the base
slab (bottom). The anchor heads of the cables in the upper
dome are contained in the ring beam.
In addition to P-T cables, reinforcing bars have been used in
CANDU 6 CCBs. For example, the upper dome contains
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
FIGURE 2. General arrangement of P-T cables in a CANDU 6
CCB [2].
For personal use only.
reinforcing bars in both the circumferential and radial direc-
tions, and the perimeter wall has reinforcing bars in both the
horizontal and vertical directions. The reinforcement is
placed at both the bottom and top faces of the upper and
inner domes and at both the inside and outside faces of the
perimeter wall. The arrangement of reinforcement in the ring
beam and the bottom of the perimeter wall near the hinge
connection between the perimeter wall and the base slab is
very complex.
Performing experiments to study the long-term behaviour of
complex concrete structures such as CANDU 6 CCBs would
be extremely difficult and potentially impractical. As an
alternative to true experiments, FEMs can be developed to
facilitate the study of the behaviour of complex concrete
structures subjected to different loading conditions (includ-
ing extreme loading assumed for accidents) and time-
dependent ageing degradation. Therefore, FEMs have been
developed for a better understanding of the overall behav-
iour of a CANDU 6 CCB during long-term operations and for
the study of the ageing degradation effects.
3. Modelling Assumptions and Simplifications
The following assumptions and simplifications have been
made in modelling the CANDU 6 CCB for the study of the
overall behaviour of the concrete structure:
• Local details in the CCB, including buttresses, penetra-
tions, temporary openings, and embedded parts, were
not considered in the modelling because their impact
on the prediction of the overall behaviour of the CCB
was not considered significant.
• The perimeter wall, ring beam, lower dome, and upper
dome were assumed to be axisymmetric. The irregular
layout of the reinforcement and P-T cables due to per-
manent or temporary openings or embedded parts were
ignored. The layout of the reinforcement in the base slab
was considered to be symmetric.
• Axisymmetric equivalent loading was assumed to re-
present the prestressing effect in the upper dome, ring
beam, and base slab.
• Reinforcing bars were assumed to be continuous.
• The vertical and horizontal P-T cables in the perimeter
wall were assumed to be uniformly distributed.
• Concrete was assumed to be homogenous, and smeared
cracks were assumed.
• A perfect bond (or no slip) between the concrete and
reinforcing bars or P-T cables was assumed.
The above simplifications and assumptions are suitable for
the study of the overall behaviour of CANDU 6 CCBs and sig-
nificantly reduced the modelling effort.
Sensitivity analyses can be performed using the FEMs to
understand the effect of different loading conditions and deg-
radation mechanisms on the performance of CCBs. The predic-
tions from the FEMs developed based on these simplifications
and assumptions can be used to understand the global dis-
placements and local strain and stress data, which were usu-
ally required for condition assessments according to the
Canadian and French experiences [3, 4]. Those measurements
were made to verify the elastic behaviour of the containment
in the course of the pressure loading and evaluate if the mean
strains and displacements are reversible [4]. Instruments for
the global and local measurements for the concrete are
mainly installed in or on the surface of the upper dome and
perimeter wall; thus, the response of the upper dome and
perimeter wall is the major interest of the modelling.
4. Modelling Approaches
Formally approved versions, ANSYS Mechanical 12.0.1 [5]
and LS-DYNA 971 [6], were used for the model development
so that the simulation results from independent FEMs can be
compared with each other for validation. Both the ANSYS and
LS-DYNA codes have special features for the modelling of
concrete and have been widely used for the analysis of pre-
stressed concrete structures. The approaches used in the
ANSYS and LS-DYNA models for the modelling of concrete,
reinforcing bars, and P-T cables are summarized in Table 1
and discussed in the sections that follow.
4.1. Modelling of concrete
Concrete is a quasi-brittle material and behaves differently in
tension and compression states. As shown in Table 1,
CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW 39
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER

TABLE 1. Summary of modelling approaches used in ANSYS cylindrical, and spherical coordinate systems were defined
and LS-DYNA models. for the input of reinforcement in the base slab, perimeter
wall, and domes, respectively.
ANSYS LS-DYNA
Concrete SOLID65 element with a Winfrith concrete model A discrete modelling approach was used in LS-DYNA models
tension “cutoff” criterion with strain softening in by modelling the concrete and reinforcing bars separately.
tension
Rebars Smeared reinforcement Discrete modelling with Both the discrete and smeared reinforcement models are
(volume ratios of rebars in truss elements widely used in the modelling of reinforced concrete struc-
concrete elements)
tures. The smeared reinforcement approach makes it easy
Cables Truss elements for cables in Same as ANSYS model
to construct a reinforced concrete model, which has a simple
perimeter wall, equivalent
reinforcement arrangement. However, it is difficult to obtain
layers with shell elements
for other cables the stress and location of reinforcement in a smeared
reinforcement model. The discrete representation can
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22

Bonding Coupling the rebar and Constraining acceleration

cable nodes with the and velocity of nodes of account for possible displacement of the reinforcement with
corresponding coincident truss elements for respect to the surrounding concrete, and stresses in the
concrete nodes reinforcement and solid reinforcing bars can be obtained. The main disadvantage of
elements for concrete the discrete model is that the finite element mesh is
restricted by the location of reinforcement and consequently
a very fine mesh is needed for the modelling of complex con-
crete structures.
different approaches were used for the modelling of concrete
in ANSYS and LS-DYNA models.
A perfect bond was assumed between the concrete and
In the ANSYS model, concrete was modelled using SOLID65 reinforcing bars or P-T cables in both the ANSYS and
For personal use only.

elements [5]. Cracking is treated with SOLID65 elements as
a “smeared band” of cracks, rather than discrete cracks, and
occurs as soon as stresses in the concrete exceed the tensile
strength of the material. The constitutive stress–strain curve
assumed for tension is linearly elastic up to the maximum
tensile strength. It was assumed that the concrete cannot
undertake any tension once the tensile stress reaches the
ultimate tensile strength of the concrete material. The use
of a strength-based criterion for crack initiation is based on
the assumption that the concrete structure is initially in a
perfect crack-free condition. In compression, a perfectly plas-
tic response was assumed after the peak compressive stress
is reached.
A Winfrith concrete model [6] with strain softening in ten-
sion was used in the LS-DYNA model, as indicated in
Table 1. The Winfrith concrete model provides a basic plas-
ticity model that includes the third stress invariant for con-
sistently treating both triaxial compression and triaxial
extension [7].
4.2. Modelling of reinforcing bars
As summarized in Table 1, a smeared reinforcement model
was used in the ANSYS model. In the ANSYS model, the
reinforcement layers were defined using the smeared
reinforcement option of the SOLID65 [5] element. The
reinforcement was assumed to be smeared and uniformly
spread throughout the element. The amount of reinforce-
ment was defined by specifying a volume ratio and the orien-
tation angles of the reinforcing bars. Local Cartesian,
LS-DYNA models. This assumption is valid when the reinforc-
ing bars and grouted P-T cables in CCBs are still in a good
shape and the bond slips can be ignored. The perfect bonding
effect was modelled by establishing coupling between the
nodes of reinforcing bars or P-T cables and the correspond-
ing coincident concrete nodes in the ANSYS model. An
embedded technology was used in the LS-DYNA model to
simulate the perfect bond by constraining the velocity and
acceleration of nodes of concrete and reinforcement or P-T
cables using an LS-DYNA keyword, *ALE_COUPLING_NODAL_
CONSTRAINT [6, 8].
4.3. Modelling of prestressing cables
The arrangement of P-T cables in CANDU 6 CCBs is very com-
plex. To simplify the modelling work, truss elements were
used to model the horizontal and vertical P-T cables in the
perimeter wall and the shell elements were used to model
the equivalent layers representing the P-T cables in the
upper dome, ring beam, and base slab in both the ANSYS
and LS-DYNA models. As discussed, a perfect bond was
assumed between the concrete and P-T cables and modelled
using different approaches in the ANSYS and LS-DYNA
models.
5. Description of ANSYS and LS-DYNA Models
Figure 3 shows a 3-D view of the ANSYS model; a quarter of
the CANDU 6 CCB without local details (e.g., buttresses) was
modelled. The ANSYS and LS-DYNA models share the mesh
of concrete with 64 220 solid elements used in each model.
In addition, each model includes 5531 truss elements and

40
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
For personal use only.
FIGURE 3. FEM of a CANDU6 CCB.
4175 shell elements for the representation of P-T cables in
the perimeter wall and equivalent P-T layers in the base slab,
ring beam, and upper dome. The LS-DYNA model includes
166 243 truss elements for a discrete modelling of
TABLE 2. Input data for the concrete material.
Basic material properties
Specific concrete material data
Plastic material model
DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
reinforcing bars. The mesh sizes were carefully selected
based on a mesh convergence study to ensure the required
level of accuracy of the simulation results at an affordable
computational cost. In the mesh convergence study, the mesh
was refined until the changes in the predicted circumferen-
tial and meridional surface strains were no more than 5%
for 6 locations, which were selected based on the locations
of monitoring instruments installed on the upper dome and
perimeter wall of a CANDU 6 CCB. The CPU times of the
ANSYS and LS-DYNA models are about 1 hour and 20 hours,
respectively, on an HP Z820 workstation with two Intel®
Xeon® 2.90 GHz processors.
5.1. Material properties
5.1.1. Concrete
Concrete material properties vary by a large amount depend-
ing on the concrete composition and construction process.
Ageing degradation of concrete could lead to significant
changes in concrete material properties. The concrete
material properties used in the FEMs have a significant
impact on the simulation results. The concrete material prop-
erties used for the design calculations of a typical CANDU 6
CCB were used for the modelling. It is recommended that
comprehensive sensitivity analyses be performed to study
the effect of the concrete input data on the predicted results.
Table 2 presents the concrete material properties used in the
ANSYS and LS-DYNA models. As shown in this table, both
models include basic material properties, such as mass den-
sity, modulus of elasticity, and Poisson’s ratio. In addition,
specific concrete material data were included in both models.
Concrete input data in the ANSYS model: In the ANSYS
model, shear transfer coefficients for open and closed cracks
were defined to control the shear loads that can be under-
taken after the tensile stress has reached the ultimate tensile
strength of the concrete material. Typical shear transfer coef-
ficients range from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.0 representing a smooth
crack (complete loss of shear transfer) and 1.0 representing
a rough crack (no loss of shear transfer) [5]. As seen in
Table 2, shear transfer coefficients for open and closed
cracks were selected as 0.3 and 0.9, respectively, based on a
comprehensive literature review and sensitivity analyses.
ANSYS LS-DYNA
Mass density: 2.24 × 10−4 lbf.s2/in4lus of elasticity: 4.29 × 106 psi Poisson’s ratio: 0.15
Uniaxial tensile strength (f t0 ): 424 psi Uniaxial compressive strength (f c0 ): 5000 psi
Shear transfer coefficient for open cracks: 0.3 Strain rate effect: OFF
Shear transfer coefficient for closed cracks: 0.9 Crack width: 0.06 mm(0.0024 in.)
Max. aggregate size: 19 mm (0.75 in.)
User-defined multilinear isotropic hardening model Default pressure versus volumetric strain curve
CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW 41
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER

FIGURE 5. Strain softening response of tensile cracking of

concrete assumed in the LS-DYNA model (modified from
F IGURE 4. Assumed compressive stress–strain curve for the LS-DYNA user manual [6]).
concrete.
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22

where GF is the specific fracture energy and f t0 is the uniaxial

A multilinear isotropic hardening material model that obeys tensile strength.
the von Mises yield criterion along with the Willam–Warnke
failure criterion [5] was assumed for concrete in the ANSYS As shown in Table 2, the following material data were used
model to predict the nonlinear behaviour of concrete in for the concrete under consideration:
compression. The assumed uniaxial stress strain curve
shown in Figure 4 is constructed from 6 points connected • Compressive strength (f c0 ): 5000 psi (34.5 MPa).
by straight lines. Point 1 was defined as 0.3 f c0 and was calcu- • Uniaxial tensile strength (f t0 ): 424 psi (2.9 MPa).
lated in a linear range (to satisfy Hooke’s law). Points 2–5
For personal use only.

• Maximum aggregate size: 19 mm (0.75 in.).

were calculated based on Equations (1 and 2) that follow
the Desayi and Krishnan model [9]. The stress–strain rela- With the above values of the compressive strength and maxi-
tionship was assumed to be perfectly plastic after point 5. mum aggregate size, the specific fracture energy for the
A horizontal line connects points 5 and 6. Similar approaches concrete under consideration was estimated to be 88 J/m2
have been widely used in recent concrete modelling work based on a design code, CEB-FIP Model Code 1990 [12]. The
[10, 11]. CEB-FIP code recommends the values of fracture energy with
respect to the compressive strength of concrete (from
2f c0
εo = (1) 12 MPa to 80 MPa) and maximum aggregate sizes of 8, 16,
Ec
and 32 mm. The crack width at zero stress (w) was then cal-
Ec ε culated to be 0.06 mm (0.0024 in.) using Equation (3) and
σ= (2) used as input data for the LS-DYNA model.
1 þ ðε=εo Þ2

The default pressure versus volumetric strain curve for the

where, σ is the stress at any strain ε, ε is strain at stress σ, εo
Winfrith model defined in LS-DYNA was used in the LS-
is the strain at the ultimate compressive strength (f c0 ) and, Ec
DYNA model.
is the modulus of elasticity of concrete.
Reinforcing bars and prestressing cables: Bilinear kin-
Concrete input data in the LS-DYNA model: A Winfrith
ematic hardening material models were used to model
concrete model with a material type of MAT085 [6] was used
reinforcing bars and P-T cables. Table 3 presents input data
for the modelling of concrete in the LS-DYNA model. Strain
used in both models, such as the mass density, modulus of
rate effects are not important for this study and were turned
elasticity, Poisson’s ratio, tangent modulus, and yield
off in the LS-DYNA simulations when the Material Type 85 in
strength of the reinforcing and prestressing steels.
LS-DYNA was used. The strain softening response MAT085
was assumed as a straight line, as illustrated in Figure 5 [7].
In this figure, the area under the curve is called the specific 5.2. Boundary conditions
fracture energy, i.e., energy per unit area dissipated in open- The boundary conditions used in the ANSYS and LS-DYNA
ing a crack. Accordingly, the crack width at zero stress (w) models are consistent with the symmetry assumption of the
can be calculated as: loads applied. The equivalent prestressing pressures in the
upper dome, ring beam, and base slab, and the internal pres-
2Gf sure load were considered axisymmetric with respect to the
w= (3)
f t0 model geometry. The current models for one-quarter of the

42
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER

TABLE 3. Input data for the rebars and P-T cables.

Property Rebars P-T cables
Mass density (lbf.s2/in.4) 7.35 × 10−4 7.35 × 10−4
Modulus of elasticity (psi) 2.90 × 107 2.90 × 107
Tangent modulus (psi) 2.90 × 105 2.90 × 105
Poisson’s ratio 0.3 0.3
Yield strength (psi) 6.00 × 104 2.42 × 105

CCB can be easily modified to a half or full model with or

without local details for future studies.
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22

In the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models, all nodes on the bottom

surface of the base slab were restrained in the 3 global direc-
tions. Considering the perimeter wall was connected to the
base slab via a hinge connection, the constraints applied to
the base slab should have an insignificant impact on the sim-
ulation results, particularly those at the upper dome and
perimeter wall.

5.3. Loading conditions

Three types of loads including the deadweight of the CCB,
For personal use only.

prestressing load, and an internal pressure were considered

in the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models. Compared with the dead-
weight of the CCB, the prestressing load has a more signifi-
cant impact on the stresses and strains in the concrete
structure. Baseline cases with an internal pressure (PD) of
20.7 psig were created for both the ANSYS and LS-DYNA
models. Simulation results of the baseline cases could be
used for a better understanding/interpretation of the instru-
mentation data collected during LRTs from CANDU 6 CCBs.
Cases with an internal pressure up to 5PD, i.e., 103.5 psig,
were also created to study the behaviour of the CCB under
overpressure conditions.
According to design documents of a CANDU 6 CCB, the ulti-
mate strength of P-T cables, σpu, was set to be 255 psi, and
the prestresses in P-T cables were assumed to be:
• in the vertical P-T cables of the perimeter wall,
• in the horizontal P-T cables of the perimeter wall and
ring beam, and
• in the P-T cables of the upper dome.
FIGURE 6. Equivalent loads of P-T cables (excluding cables
in the perimeter wall) in CANDU 6 CCBs.
cables in the upper dome, ring beam, and base slab, as shown
in Figure 6. The equivalent load approach has been widely
used in the modelling of prestressed concrete structures to
simulate the prestressing effect [13]. The approaches pre-
sented in Jeon and Chung [13] for the calculation of the
equivalent loads and thickness of each equivalent layer of
P-T cables were adopted for the model development.
Equivalent pressures were calculated for the P-T cables in
the upper dome, ring beam, and base slab, and equivalent
forces were calculated for the straight portions of dome
cables in the ring beam region. It was assumed that the upper
dome cables become straight once they enter the ring beam
and the straight portions of dome cables provides equivalent
forces at the anchorage position in the ring beam.

As shown in Table 1, truss elements were used to directly
model the horizontal and vertical P-T cables in the perimeter
wall, and equivalent layers of shell elements were created to
represent the P-T cables in the upper dome, ring beam, and
base slab. Equivalent temperature loads were applied to the
horizontal and vertical cables in the perimeter wall to simu-
late the prestressing effects in both the ANSYS and
LS-DYNA baseline cases. An equivalent load approach was
used to simulate the prestressing effect provided by the P-T
A modified ANSYS model was developed using the equivalent
prestressing loads calculated for the horizontal and vertical
cables in the perimeter wall instead of equivalent tempera-
ture loads used in the baseline case. There is little difference,
<4%, between the predicted stresses and strains at the
outside surfaces from the modified case and the baseline
case. The result of comparison demonstrated that both
approaches can be used to simulate the prestressing effect.
The approach using equivalent temperature loads was used

CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW 43

 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
in case studies to make it easy to check the stress or strain in
a single P-T cable in the perimeter wall and study the effect of
the breakage of a single cable or a group of cables with mod-
els modified from the baseline case.
The ANSYS model uses an implicit static solution. The dead
load and prestressing load were applied in one load step,
and the internal pressure load was applied to the inside sur-
face of the model in a separate load step. The automatic time-
stepping feature of ANSYS was invoked to determine the
appropriate sizes or numbers to break the load step into
substeps.
An explicit dynamic solution was applied in the LS-DYNA
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
model. The total simulation time was set as 2 seconds for
the baseline case with an internal pressure of 20.7 psig and
5 seconds for the case with an internal pressure of 103.5 psig.
The dead load and prestressing load were applied during the
first second. The internal pressure was applied in the rest of
the analysis. The kinetic energy of the deforming structure
was found to be well below 5% of its internal energy
throughout the majority of analysis; hence, the LS-DYNA
model was considered suitable for a quasi-static analysis.
For personal use only.
6. Validation of ANSYS and LS-DYNA Models
The ANSYS and LS-DYNA models have been verified and vali-
dated using multiple-source data. Simulation results from in-
dependent ANSYS and LS-DYNA models were compared for
validation. Experimental data of a 1:14 scale test structure
of the standard CANDU 6 CCB [14] were compared with sim-
ulation results from the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models. In
addition, simulation results from a BOSOR5 model for a stan-
dard CANDU 6 CCB developed at University of Alberta [15]
were also used to validate the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models.
6.1. Comparison of deformations from simulations and
experiments
The test results of the 1:14 scale test structure [14] are the
only publicly accessible experimental data found for the
model validation. Further validation can be performed using
the instrumentation data collected from CANDU 6 CCBs dur-
ing LRTs when those data are available. The purpose of the
1:14 scale test structure of the standard CANDU 6 CCB was
to compare the observed and predicted behaviours under
overpressure conditions. Major differences between the
1:14 test structure and the original standard CANDU 6 CCB
were summarized as follows [14].
• The test structure only includes the elements that resist
the overpressure loading, namely the base slab, perim-
eter wall, ring beam, and upper dome. The test structure
does not include the inner dome as well as the weight of
water stored within the inner dome.
44
• The upper dome of a CANDU 6 CCB contains 3 tendon
layers with an angle of 60° between each other.
However, there are only 2 orthogonal tendon layers in
the dome of the test structure.
• The overall geometry of the test structure was scaled
1:14 from the CANDU 6 CCB. However, the same scale
could not be used for all construction details to maintain
realistic material properties. Different scale factors were
used to define the dimensions and construction details
of the test structure. For example, the scaling ratio of
1:14 will lead to in a thickness of 2.97 cm (1.17 in) for
the upper dome. However, the dome in the test structure
was constructed with a thickness of 12.7 cm (5 in) to
realistically represent construction details.
• Reinforcement ratios of the test structure are much
higher than those of the CCB modelled in this study.
• The values of prestress applied in the test structure are
different from those in the standard CANDU 6 CCB.
Because of the differences listed above, the test structure is
not a perfectly scaled replica of the standard CANDU 6 CCB,
but only a parallel model to predict the sequence of cracking
and the failure mode of the standard CANDU 6 CCB [14].
Figure 7 provides a comparison of deformations measured
from the test structure [14] and predicted from the ANSYS
and LS-DYNA models. The deformation data obtained from
both models have been scaled with a factor of 1/14 to com-
pare with the experimental results from the 1:14 scale test
structure. As seen in Figure 7, the predicted results from
the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models are quite similar to the test
results before the onset of cracking at a pressure of about
55 psig. Before cracking, concrete contributes more to the
stiffness of the concrete structure compared with the
reinforcement. Thus, the difference in reinforcement ratios
in the test model and the standard CANDU 6 CCB has no sig-
nificant impact on the predicted behaviour before the onset
of cracking. As the FEMs were developed to study the overall
response of the CCB during normal operating conditions and
LRT periods at an internal pressure of no higher than
20.7 psig, the scaled test structure is suitable for the
validation.
6.2. Comparison of predicted surface stresses from
different models
The BOSOR5 model developed for an inelastic analysis of a
standard CANDU 6 CCB [15] was selected to validate the
ANSYS and LS-DYNA models by comparing surface stresses
predicted from these 3 models.
In the BOSOR5 model, the CCB was modelled as axisymmet-
ric with a series of shell segments defined with respect to a
reference surface. The shell segments were layered to re-
present different materials through the thickness of a com-
ponent. Each layer of reinforcing or prestressing steel was
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
For personal use only.

FIGURE 7. Comparison of deformations from numerical models and experiments (A) pressure versus vertical deflection of the
dome; (B) pressure versus horizontal defection at the middle of the perimeter wall.

modelled as a separate layer. Significant simplifications were
made for the ring beam, inner dome, and hinge connection of
the CCB, especially for the ring beam, to enable the use of
shell segments for the modelling. Different simplifications
made in the BOSOR6 model and the ANSYS and LS-DYNA
models might cause quite different local stresses and strains
in those regions; however, the simplifications should not
have a significant influence on the predicted overall behav-
iour in the upper dome and perimeter wall.
In the BOSOR5 model, the foundation was modelled as an
axisymmetric Winkler foundation, in which the restraint to
the base slab is concentrated at a discrete number of points.
However, the foundation was not modelled in the ANSYS
and LS-DYNA models. The difference in the modelling of the
base slab and foundation should not have a significant impact
on the predicted stress–strain data in the perimeter wall and
upper dome, which are the major interest of this paper.
Loading conditions considered in the BOSOR5 model are
consistent with those studied in the ANSYS and LS-DYNA
models. Three types of loads including the deadweight of
the CCB, prestressing load, and an internal pressure were
also considered in the BOSOR5 model [15]. Equivalent load
approaches were used to simulate the prestress in all P-T
cables. The equivalent pressures/forces used in the
BOSOR5 model are in good agreement with those calculated
and used for the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models. For example,
a constant equivalent pressure of 0.271 MPa was calculated
for the cables in the upper dome, and equivalent pressures
of 0.253 MPa, 0.258 MPa, and 0.264 MPa were used in
the BOSOR5 model for 3 portions of the upper dome,
respectively [15].
Material properties used in the BOSOR5 model are in good
agreement with those assumed in the ANSYS and LS-DYNA
models.
The BOSOR5 model was considered to be suitable for the val-
idation based on the above discussions. Figure 8 presents the
predicted stresses at the inside and outside surfaces from the
BOSOR5 and the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models with an

CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW 45

 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
For personal use only.
FIGURE 8. Predicted surface stresses from different models.
internal pressure of 20.7 psig. As seen in Figure 8, there is
good agreement in the circumferential surface stresses and
meridional stresses obtained from these 3 models. The cur-
rent version of LS-DYNA can only provide stresses in the
global Cartesian coordinate system; therefore, Figure 8 does
not give the meridional surface stresses for the upper dome
and inner dome from the LS-DYNA model. Instead, normal
stress components in the global Cartesian coordinate system
predicted from the ANSYS and LS-DYNA models were com-
pared. Good agreement was observed in the predicted nor-
mal stress components at the outside and inside surfaces of
the upper dome and inner dome.
7. Applications of the FEMs
The ANSYS and LS-DYNA models have been modified for pre-
liminary studies of the effect of temperature loads on strain
and stress measurements. Both models can be used to study
the ageing effects in CCBs. A brief introduction to the meth-
odology used for these studies is given here.
7.1. Understanding of temperature effects
CCBs of nuclear reactors exposed to external and internal
temperature changes are likely to be subjected to significant
46
stresses and strains, which are induced by temperature gra-
dients through the CCB components. The ANSYS model has
been modified and used successfully for the study of the in-
fluence of temperature loads on strain measurements for a
CANDU 6 CCB as reported in Ding et al. [3]. To simplify the
modelling work, a linear temperature distribution profile
along the thickness of the reactor building concrete was
assumed. A steady-state thermal analysis was performed
first to predict the temperature distribution in the CCB using
the inside and outside surface temperature data as boundary
conditions in the model. Then, a nonlinear structural analysis
was performed to examine the structural behaviour of the
CCB under the thermal and other existing loads, such as the
dead weight of the concrete structures and prestressing
loads. Temperature data obtained from the results of the
thermal analysis was applied as nodal thermal loads in the
structural analysis. The analysis results demonstrated that
the temperature distribution within the containment concrete
has a significant impact on the strain, which was seen in the
numerical simulation results and the strain measurements [3].
However, the linear temperature distribution assumed in the
preliminary analysis only provides a rough estimation of the
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
temperature effects. CANDU 6 CCBs are made of concrete
with relatively large dimensions. The temperature variation
at greater depths from the outside surface, in particular at
the inside surface of the CCB wall, is much less than the tem-
perature variation in the ambient atmosphere. The tempera-
ture profile in CANDU 6 CCBs might be nonlinear [3].
Nonlinear transient thermal and structural analyses could
be considered in the future work to better predict the tem-
perature distribution in the CCBs and the response caused
by temperature loads.
7.2. Understanding of ageing degradation of CCBs
The ANSYS and LS-DYNA models can be used to study the
effect of the following time-dependent degradation issues:
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
creep and shrinkage of concrete, corrosion of reinforcing
bars and P-T cables, postulated breakage of local P-T cables.
Design codes (e.g., ACI 209R-92 [16]) can be used to deter-
mine the creep strains or coefficients and shrinkage strains
for different portions of the CCBs considering the inside and
outside environmental conditions. An effective modulus
approach can be used to roughly estimate the bound values
of strains caused by creep using ANSYS models. The effective
modulus approach is practical with assumed constant stress
For personal use only.
conditions; hence, the approach is suitable for a rough esti-
mation of the band values of strains induced by creep. For
more accurate results, equivalent temperature loads can be
applied to each portion of the CCB to simulate the creep
effect based on the creep coefficients and stresses of specific
elements using APDL (ANSYS Parametric Design Language)
[5]. The shrinkage strains estimated from design codes can
be converted to equivalent temperature loads applied to the
inside and outside surfaces of the CCB to predict the strain
changes due to concrete shrinkage. Creep and shrinkage are
significantly affected by environmental variables, such as
temperature and humidity [17]. The temperature distribu-
tion in the CCB is a complex 3-D issue that may have a signifi-
cant impact on creep and shrinkage predictions. Complex
temperature distribution in the CCB should be included in
the numerical models for a better prediction of degradation
effects.
Analysis cases can be created based on the baseline cases by
updating the input parameters for the study of the effect of
corrosion of reinforcing bars and corrosion or fracture of
P-T cables.
It would be difficult to model the effect of each contributing
factor of loss of prestressing forces because limited data are
available on some time-dependent degradation factors, par-
ticularly the relaxation of prestressing steel. Sensitivity
analyses can be performed to directly study the relationship
between the prestressing loss and the resulting concrete
strain changes assuming that the prestressing loss is uni-
formly distributed in CCBs. Cases with assumed percentage
of prestressing losses can be created from the ANSYS base-
line model by directly updating the equivalent loads used to
simulate the prestressing effect in the model.
8. Summary and Conclusions
FEMs have been developed for CANDU 6 CCBs using 2 com-
mercial finite element programs, ANSY and LS-DYNA. The
modelling assumptions/simplifications, approach and valida-
tion have been introduced.
It was concluded that:
• The FEMs for CANDU 6 CCBs developed using 2 inde-
pendent finite element programs have been validated
using multi-source data, including simulation results
and experimental data from a scaled test structure for
a standard CANDU 6 CCB, and have been proven to pro-
vide reasonable results.
• The validated FEMs can be used for the study of the
overall behaviour of a CANDU 6 CCB during long-term
operations with ageing degradation issues to better
understand the instrumentation data collected from
CANDU 6 CCBs and provide guidance for the develop-
ment of novel inspection and monitoring approaches
for CANDU 6 reactors.
The modelling methodologies used in this study could be fur-
ther improved. Complex temperature distribution in CANDU
6 CCBs should be included in the FEMs for a better under-
standing of temperature and ageing degradation effects.
References
[1] CSA, 2008, In-service Examination and Testing Requirements for Concrete
Containment Structures for CANDU Nuclear Power Plants, Canadian
Standards Association, Standard N287.7-08 (Reaffirmed 2013).
[2] J.P. Radulescu, L. Pradolin and J.C. Mamet, 1997, “Ultimate Pressure
Capacity of CANDU 6 Containment Structures,” Proceedings, 1997 CNA/
CNS Annual Conference, Volume 2, Session 4A, June 8–11, 1997, Canadian
Nuclear Society, Toronto, ON.
[3] Y. Ding, S. Jaffer, P. Angell, 2014, “Influence of Temperature on Strain
Monitoring of Degradation in Concrete Containment Buildings,” Fontevraud
8, Avignon, France, September 15–18, 2014, Paper O-T10–069.
[4] Fib, 2001, “Nuclear Containments,” State-of-art Report, Bulletin 13,
International Federation for Structural Concrete, Federation Internationale
de Beton (fib), Lausanne, Switzerland.
[5] ANSYS, Inc., 2009, Theory Reference for the Mechanical APDL and
Mechanical Applications, Release 12.0, Canonsburg, PA, USA.
[6] LSTC, 2007, “LS-DYNA® Keyword User’s Manual,” Vol. I and II. Version
971, Livermore Software Technology Center (LSTC), Livermore, CA.
[7] L. Schwer, 2011, “The Winfrith Concrete Model: Beauty or Beast?
Insights into the Winfrith Concrete Model,” 8th European LS-DYNA® Users
Conference, May 23–24, 2011, Strasbourg, France.
[8] L. Schwer, 2014, “Modeling Rebar: The Forgotten Sister in Reinforced
Concrete Modeling (v2),” 13th LS-DYNA® International Conference, June 8–
10, 2014, Dearborn, MI.
CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW 47
 CNL NUCLEAR REVIEW DEVELOPMENT OF FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR THE STUDY OF AGEING EFFECTS IN CANDU 6
VOL 5, NUMBER 1, June 2016 CONCRETE CONTAINMENT BUILDINGS – YUQING DING AND SHAHZMA JAFFER
[9] P. Desayi, and S. Krishnan, 1964, “Equation for the Stress-Strain Curve of
Concrete,” Journal of American Concrete Institute, 61(3), pp. 345–350.
[10] D. Kachlakev, T. Miller, S. Yim, K. Chansawat and T. Potisuk, 2001.
“Finite Element Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Structures Strengthened
with FRP Laminates,” Final Report SPR-316, Oregon Department of
Transportation, Salem, OR.
[11] A.M. Ibrahim, and M. Mahmood, 2009, “Finite Element Modeling of
Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with FRP Laminates,” European
Journal of Scientific Research, 30(4), pp. 526–541.
[12] Comite Euro-International du Beton, 1993, CEB-FIP Model Code 1990:
Design Code, Thomas Telford, London, United Kingdom.
[13] S.-J. Jeon, and C.-H. Chung, 2005,“Axisymmetric Modeling of
Prestressing Tendons in Nuclear Containment Dome ,” Nuclear Engineering
and Design, 235(23), pp. 2463–2476. doi: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2005.
06.007.
CNL Nuclear Review Downloaded from pubs.cnl.ca by 210.6.150.96 on 01/26/22
For personal use only.
48
[14] J.G. McGregor, S.H. Simmonds and S.H. Rizkalla, 1980, “Test of a
Prestressed Concrete Secondary Containment Structure,” A Technical
Report to the Atomic Energy Control Board, Structural Engineering
Report No. 85, University of Alberta, Department of Civil Engineering,
Edmonton, AB.
[15] D.W. Murray, C. Wong, S.H. Simmonds and J.G. MacGregor, 1980, “An
Inelastic Analysis of The Gentilly-2 Secondary Containment Structure,” A
Technical Report to the Atomic Energy Control Board, Structural
Engineering Report No. 86, University of Alberta, Department of Civil
Engineering, Edmonton, AB.
[16] ACI, 1992, Prediction of Creep, Shrinkage, and Temperature Effects in
Concrete Structures, American Concrete Institute, Standard ACI 209R-92
(Reapproved 2008).
[17] ACI, 2008, Guide for Modeling and Calculating Shrinkage and Creep in
Hardened Concrete, American Concrete Institute, Standard ACI 209.2R–08.