Empirical investigation on buckling and post-buckling behaviour of cell liners

In nuclear-related facilities, many concete walls and slabs are lined with thin stainless steel plates in order to insure against the risk of accidental air leakage during a severe earthquake. These liners are forcibly deformed with the deformation of the concrete walls and slabs during an earthquake. The purpose of this paper is to obtain basic empirical data on the shearing behaviour of thin steel plates attached to concrete, especially to understand the relationship between the shear strain of the plate and its lateral displacement, as fundamental research on the safety of lining plates. A new apparatus for measuring the lateral displacement of a lining plate by continuously scanning its surface is tested. The apparatus proves to be quite effective for understanding the buckling wave of the lining plate and the essential behaviour of a thin steel plate attached to a concrete wall subject to a shear force is clarified.