Drop Testing of a Container for the Storage, Transport and Disposal of Intermediate Level Waste

Abstract

Impact tests were performed, as part of a corresponding container’s substantiation, during design development of a shielded container. The container will be used for storage, transport, and disposal of intermediate level waste in the UK. The mechanical test program comprised a 9m free drop test onto an unyielding target in a container long lid edge down orientation at ambient conditions. Further, a 0,5m free drop test onto a punch target was performed. Here, the container was orientated with the lid downwards in a way that the punch, a mild steel bar, impacts a filter lid. The test specimen was instrumented with strain gauges and accelerometers for the drop tests. Transient strains at selected points of the inner and outer container walls, at the shielding lid, as well as at the lid bolts were measured during the container’s impact. Furthermore, decelerations of the container body, container lid, and the skip were measured. The complex geometrical changes of the container due to impact were determined by optical 3d-deformation measures using the projected fringes method in combination with multi-image photogrammetry. This paper summarizes the performance of the drop tests and various drop test results in context with the design development as well as aspects regarding the associated Finite Element (FE) analyses and post-test evaluation.

Improved criteria for evaluating impact targets in regulative drop tests of dangerous goods packagings

“…The stiffness coefficient in Equation (11) can be interpreted as the contact stiffness 14,15 between impact target and ground in the case of already installed impact target structures (e.g., reinforced concrete foundation with solidly anchored steel plate) 16–18 . To investigate such effects, the proposed model impact targets shall be used.…”

“…An analytical threshold δ LIMIT ¼ 1:96% regarding this energy percentage was calculated in Lengas et al 5 ; that is, the energy amount absorbed by the test package must be greater than 98.04%. Here, the parameter δ LIMIT is given by the energy ratio between time t ¼ t 0 (moment of impact) and t ¼ t 2 (maximum potential energy of impact target), as described in Equation (17).…”

Development of an analysis and testing concept for the evaluation of impact targets in the mechanical safety testing of dangerous goods packagings

“…Based on further drop test analyses conducted at BAM within design approval procedure of RAM transport packagings, for example, in other studies, 9–13 a drop target can be characterized as essentially unyielding regarding IAEA Safety Regulations 6 if approximately 95% of the kinetic energy in a drop test gets absorbed by the transport packaging and converted into deformation energy.…”