Whiplash Effect on Hydropower House During an Earthquake

The mutation of mass and stiffness between the superstructure and substructure of a hydropower station can lead to the whiplash effect on the hydropower house during an earthquake. This paper explains the mechanism of the whiplash effect based on the theory of structural dynamics. A Chinese hydropower house was taken as a test case to discuss the whiplash effect on this type of structures. An integral finite element model and partial models of the hydropower house were established according to its structural features, arrangement forms and loading features. The dynamic response and the whiplash effect of the hydropower house were investigated by direct time integration using the Newmark method.