LS-DYNA


 

 

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Applications - Nuclear

Arup has pioneered the use of LS-DYNA for analysing nuclear material containers since the early 1980s. The robust contact definitions and wide range of material models make LS-DYNA ideally suited to model these types of impact events.

A wide range of impact events can be analysed;

  • Size - from small shock absorber castings to a 92 tonne spent fuel flask
  • Section - from impact of thin-gauge steel storage drums to thick-walled transport containers
  • Targets - from idealized unyielding targets to a realistic desert soil target
  • Deformations - from seal gap deformations on the order 0.1mm to gross solid metal flow deformations and buckling
  • Materials - from steels to reinforced concrete to grouted wasteform with complex crush behaviour.
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Project Profile 1

Impact Analyses of Reusable Shielded Transport Container

Client: UK Nirex Ltd

The RSTC-285 is a reusable shielded transport container for ILW, made from steel with a nominal 285mm wall thickness. Impact analyses were carried out to assess its performance in six different impact attitudes under conditions prescribed by the IAET Transport Regulations. The 70,000-element model was validated against a series of one-third scale model drop tests before it was analysed for the regulatory impacts. The results obtained from test and analyses agreed extremely well, for both global and local

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9m Lid-corner Attitude: body deformations
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Comparison of Lid Seal Membrane lug deformation between analysis and test
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9m Side-Edge Attitude: body deformations
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Comparison of body acceleration between analysis and 9m lid-edge drop test

Project Profile 2

Impact Analysis of the New Modular Container

Client: Rolls-Royce

We have worked closely with Rolls Royce in their application for a competent authority license from the UK Department of Transport for a fresh fuel container to IP-2 (fissile) standards. We made extensive computer analyses of the drop test event, and a small number of confirmatory drop tests to provide confidence in the analysis results. This was the first time in the UK that computer impact analysis was used as a major part of a licensing application.

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Comparison of body acceleration between analysis and 9m lid-edge drop test

Project Profile 3

Evaluation of the Safety of Flasks Impacting Different Kinds of Targets

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Client: European Commission DG XVII

This project was to investigate the true safety margin of flasks which had been designed according to the IAEA Transport Regulations, when impacting real-life targets instead of the regulatory "unyielding" target. The second phase of this project has included analysis of a TK-6 flask impacting a layered concrete target and a realistically-modeled desert soil target. The figure below shows an impact crater in the soil target, sectioned along the plane of symmetry.