Incentives for the use of depleted uranium alloys as transport cask containment structure [electronic resource]
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Online Access |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Corporate Author: | |
| Format: | Government Document Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Washington, D.C. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. :
United States. Department of Energy. ; distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Department of Energy,
1992.
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| Abstract: | Radioactive material transport casks use either lead or depleted uranium (DU) as gamma-ray shielding material. Stainless steel is conventionally used for structural containment. If a DU alloy had sufficient properties to guarantee resistance to failure during both nominal use and accident conditions to serve the dual-role of shielding and containment, the use of other structure materials (i.e., stainless steel) could be reduced. (It is recognized that lead can play no structural role.) Significant reductions in cask weight and dimensions could then be achieved perhaps allowing an increase in payload. The mechanical response of depleted uranium has previously not been included in calculations intended to show that DU-shielded transport casks will maintain their containment function during all conditions. This paper describesa two-part study of depleted uranium alloys: First, the mechanical behavior of DU alloys was determined in order to extend the limited set of mechanical properties reported in the literature. The mechanical properties measured include the tensile behavior the impact energy. Fracture toughness testing was also performed to determine the sensitivity of DU alloys to brittle fracture. Fracture toughness is the inherent material property which quantifies the fracmm resistance of a material. Tensile strength and ductility are significant in terms of other failure modes, however, as win be discussed. These mechanical properties were then input into finite element calculations of cask response to loading conditions to quantify the potential for claiming structural credit for DU. (The term structural credit'' describes whether a material has adequate properties to allow it to assume a positive role in withstanding structural loadings.) |
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| Item Description: | Published through SciTech Connect. 01/01/1992. "sand-92-1971c" " conf-920905--16" "DE92041149" 10. international symposium on the packaging and transportation of radioactive materials: PATRAM '92, Yokohama (Japan), 13-18 Sep 1992. Salzbrenner, R; McConnell, P; Wellman, G W; Sorenson, K B. |
| Physical Description: | Pages: (8 p) : digital, PDF file. |