Cable Tray Ultimate Strength Test Employing a Large Shaker Table

Ultimate behaviors of cable trays, used in nuclear plants, have not been well studied since cable trays are designed based on conservative design criteria. In this study, by employing a large shaker table, an ultimate strength test was conducted for cable trays used in nuclear power plants. This report describes the results of shaker table test. The following results were obtained: 1) In an S₂* earthquake, the damping ratio was so large — more than 30% due to the rubbing of cables — that a large response was not present and the strains in the support were within the elastic limits. 2) The support was strong enough to sustain the cable trays even when the strain in the support was 20 times larger than elastic strain.