10 C.F.R. § 53.480 – Earthquake engineering.

(a) Effects of earthquakes. Structures, systems, and components classified as SR or NSRSS must be able to withstand the effects of earthquakes, commensurate with the safety significance of the SSC, without loss of capability to perform their role in fulfilling the safety functions required by § 53.230.
(b) Definitions. As used in this section—
Design-Basis Ground Motions (DBGMs) are the vibratory ground motions for which certain SSCs must be designed to remain functional.
Operating basis earthquake (OBE) ground motion is the vibratory ground motion for which those features of the commercial nuclear plant necessary for continued operation without undue risk to the health and safety of the public are designed to remain functional. The OBE ground motion is used in § 53.720.
Response spectrum is a plot of the maximum responses (acceleration, velocity, or displacement) of idealized single-degree-of-freedom oscillators as a function of the natural frequencies of the oscillators for a given damping value. The response spectrum is calculated for a specified vibratory motion input at the oscillators' supports.
Surface deformation is the distortion of geologic strata on or near the ground surface that occurs because of tectonic forces that result from earthquakes.
(c) Design considerations—(1) Design-Basis Ground Motions.
1. (i) The DBGMs must be derived from the Site Ground Motion Response Spectra developed in accordance with § 53.510(c), by taking into consideration the functional design criteria of SSCs in accordance with §§ 53.410 and 53.420. The horizontal component of the DBGM(s) in the free-field at the foundation level of the structures must be an appropriate response spectrum that is determined based on the risk-significance of SSCs and their safety functions. In view of the limited data available on vibratory ground motion of strong earthquakes, it is acceptable that the design response spectra be smoothed spectra.
2. (ii) The commercial nuclear plant must be designed so that, if the DBGMs occur, the following SSCs remain functional and within applicable stress, strain, and deformation limits:
  1. (A) Structures, systems, and components for which functional design criteria are established in accordance with § 53.410 or § 53.420; and
  2. (B) Structures, systems, and components classified as SR or NSRSS commensurate with safety significance in accordance with § 53.460.
3. (iii) In addition to seismic loads, applicable concurrent normal operating, functional, and accident-induced loads must be taken into account in the design of the SR SSCs and, commensurate with safety significance, NSRSS SSCs.
4. (iv) The design of the commercial nuclear plant must take into account the possible effects of seismic-induced ground disruption, such as fissuring, lateral spreads, differential settlement, liquefaction, and landsliding, on the facility foundations.
5. (v) The SSCs fulfilling the safety functions required by § 53.230 must be demonstrated through design, testing, or qualification methods to be able to fulfill those safety functions during and after the vibratory ground motion associated with the DBGMs.
6. (vi) The evaluation of SSCs required by this section to show they are able to function during and after earthquake ground motion should consider, if applicable, soil-structure interaction effects and the expected duration of vibratory motion. It is permissible to design for inelastic behavior in some of these SSCs during the DBGMs and under the postulated concurrent loads, provided the necessary safety functions are maintained.
7. (2) OBE Ground Motion. The OBE Ground Motion must be characterized by response spectra. The value of the OBE Ground Motion must be set to one-third or less of the DBGMs response spectra.
8. (3) [Reserved]
9. (4) Required seismic instrumentation. Suitable instrumentation must be provided so that the seismic response of commercial nuclear plant SR SSCs or NSRSS SSCs can be evaluated promptly after an earthquake.
(d) Surface deformation.
1. (1) The potential for surface deformation must be taken into account in the design of the commercial nuclear plant by providing reasonable assurance that in the event of deformation, SSCs classified as SR or NSRSS in accordance with § 53.460 will remain functional.
2. (2) In addition to surface deformation induced loads, the design of SSCs must take into account, commensurate with safety significance, seismic loads and applicable concurrent functional and accident-induced loads.
3. (3) The design provisions for surface deformation must be based on its postulated occurrence in any direction and azimuth and under any part of the commercial nuclear plant, unless evidence indicates this assumption is not appropriate, and must take into account the estimated rate at which the surface deformation may occur.
(e) Seismically induced floods and water waves and other design conditions. Seismically induced floods and water waves from either locally or distantly generated seismic activity and other design conditions determined pursuant to subpart D of this part must be taken into account in the design of the commercial nuclear plant so as to prevent undue risk to the health and safety of the public.
(f) Analysis. The analyses required by § 53.450 must address seismic hazards and related SSC responses in determining that the safety criteria defined in § 53.220 will be met.
(g) Design criteria, human actions, and programmatic controls. Functional design criteria, human actions, and programmatic controls needed to address seismic events must be identified and implemented in accordance with this and other subparts to achieve and maintain the performance of SSCs relied upon to satisfy the safety criteria in § 53.220 and to maintain consistency with analyses required by § 53.450 when accounting for the site-specific frequencies and magnitudes of earthquakes for a commercial nuclear plant.