Seismic Design of Industrial Facilities in Germany

Industrial facilities are typically complex systems consisting of a primary loadcarrying structure with multiple technical installations like tanks, vessels and pipes, which are generally designated as secondary structures. Due to high cost of the process engineering components and due to the risk of business interruption and the release of harmful substances into air, water and ground if damages occur, industrial facilities must be designed to safely withstand seismic loading. The design must consider both the primary structure and the secondary structures as well as the dynamic interaction effects between structural and non-structural components. However, in Germany a basis for the seismic design of such facilities is still missing, since the current earthquake code DIN 4149 and the forthcoming code DIN EN 1998-1 are limited to conventional buildings. For this reason a technical guideline for the seismic design of industrial facilities was developed in collaboration with the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) to close the gap of the design standards. The present paper introduces the guideline with special emphasis on plant specific aspects.