MECHANICS APPLIED TO THE UNDERGROUND STORAGE OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE MATERIALS

摘要

An application of Mechanics to an important environmental problem is an investigation on the creep properties of rock salt which was undertaken in relation to the planned encapsulation of transuranic nuclear waste in caverns excavated in bedded salt formations (the W1PP program in the USA). Those caverns are intended to serve as permanent repositories for radioactive waste over an extensive period so that complete isolation is required of the facility including the shafts that are initially connected to the outside. In conjunction with an extensive experimental program, the analytical and numerical studies on creep of rock salt were concerned with the following subjects: creep based on dislocation mechanisms; damage induced creep leading to volumetric changes, pressure dependence, and creep rupture: healing of damage; failure and fracture mechanisms; and structural integrity of underground storage rooms.