Antiseismic static electrical converter apparatus

• US 5,790,388 A
• Filed: 12/04/1995
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GEC Alsthom Limited
• Original Assignee: GEC Alsthom Limited
• Inventors: Buckingham, Andrew Douglas John
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JARDIEU, DEREK
• Application Number:
  US08/566,974
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 363/13, 363/35, 363/68, 363/123, 363/141, 363/144, 174/42, 174/43, 174/150
• US Class Current: 363/13
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 9/021 Bearing, supporting or connecting constructions specially adapted for such buildings

Abstract

An antiseismic static electrical converter installation comprises a valve assembly mounted on a platform, the platform being suspended at each of two opposite ends from a series of rods which are attached in a spaced-out relationship to a horizontal beam, the beam being mounted on the ground via rubber springs. During an earthquakes movement of the ground causes mainly lateral distortion of the rubber springs and elastic bending of the rods, and, since the natural resonant frequency of the suspension system is designed to be low and the rubber springs are deigned to have significant damping, a high degree of isolation is provided for the platform and the equipment mounted on it. During severe earthquakes, the rods are arranged to suffer a plastic bending which causes them to act like pendulums and changes the natural frequency of the suspension system to increase the damping and provide greater protection. Ideally, the tops of the rods are arranged to be level with the combined center of mass of the valve assembly and the platform so that the valve assembly is prevented from experiencing a bending moment about the combined center of mass.

Claims

1. Static electrical converter installation including a column of series-connected valve modules and a suspension arrangement, the suspension arrangement including a platform, upon which the valve column is mounted, and a plurality of rods, said platform being suspended by means of said rods, said rods being fixedly attached to the platform and extending up to the level of an intermediate point in the height of the column and being supported by ground-referenced support means at that level, said intermediate point being selected such that rotation of said column about all axes following seismic disturbance of said support means is reduced, and the rods having stiffness such as to limit seismic movement of said column.

2. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 1, in which said level of an intermediate point is the combined center of mass of the valve column and the platform.

3. Static electrical converter installation including a column of series-connected valve modules and a suspension arrangement, the suspension arrangement including a platform, upon which the valve column is mounted, and a plurality of rods, said platform being suspended by means of said rods, said rods being fixedly attached to the platform and extending up to the level of an intermediate point in the height of the column and being supported by ground-referenced support means at that level, the suspension arrangement being arranged to operate in a first mode of low-frequency oscillation at low levels of seismic activity, in which first mode the rods deflect in an elastic fashion, or in a second mode of low-frequency oscillation at higher levels of seismic activity, in which second mode the rods deflect in a plastic fashion, said second mode having the effect of changing the natural frequency of the suspension arrangement, thereby increasing the damping thereof.

4. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 3, in which said intermediate point is selected such that rotation of said column about all axes following seismic disturbance of said support means is reduced.

5. Static electrical converter installation including a column of series-connected valve modules and a suspension arrangement, the suspension arrangement including a platform, upon which the valve column is mounted, and, for each of two opposite ends of the platform, a substantially horizontal beam member and a plurality of rods, the beam member being resiliently mounted to the ground by way of a mounting means and the rods being disposed spaced apart from each other and suspended at one end from the respective beam member and attached at the other end to the respective end of the platform, the platform being suspended clear of the ground by the rods.

6. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 5, in which the suspension arrangement is arranged so that a line joining the two beam members substantially passes through the combined center of mass of the valve column and the platform.

7. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 5, in which the rods are composed of a ductile material.

8. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 7, in which the rods are composed of mild steel.

9. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 5, in which the platform is a structure having high bending stiffness.

10. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 9, in which the platform is a box-like structure and contains ballast to increase the mass.

11. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 10, in which the platform is composed of steel and the ballast is composed of cast iron.

12. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 5, in which the rods are suspended from the beam member by respective swivel means.

13. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 12, in which the swivel means are cup washers supported by the beam member, the respective rods being passed through, and secured behind, said cup washers.

14. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 5, in which the mounting means comprises, for each end of the beam member, a rigid post secured to the ground and a resilient mount disposed between the rigid post and the respective end of the beam member.

15. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 14, in which the resilient mount includes a rubber spring.

16. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 14, in which the rigid post includes a stop means secured to an upper surface of the post, the stop means serving to limit a lateral excursion of the associated resilient mount.

17. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 14, in which the rigid post is composed of steel or concrete.

18. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 14, in which the resilient mount includes a steel helical spring with a separate damping element.

19. Static electrical converter installation as claimed in claim 18, in which the damping element is a hydraulic hysteresis or friction damping device.