Identification of the Dynamic Properties of Materials for the Nuclear Waste Container

Abstract

Spent nuclear fuel container has to meet several design objectives including maintaining its integrity in case of accidents, where it may be subjected to high loads over very short duration. Simulating accident scenarios using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software requires knowledge of the characteristics of the spent nuclear fuel container materials under these circumstances. Materials usually exhibit different behavior under dynamic loads than under static ones. While behavior of most materials under static loads is well-documented, their behavior under dynamic loads is not. The picture is further complicated by the fact that the spent fuel container will be subjected to elevated temperature for an extended period. The objective of this project in its first year was to study the behavior of the candidate materials for the spent nuclear fuel container, namely Stainless Steel 316 and Alloy C22, under dynamic loads at room temperature.