Development of methodology for certification of Type B shipping containers using analytical and testing techniques

摘要

The Analysis and Testing Group (WX-11) of the Design Engineering Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is developing methodology for designing and providing a basis for certification of Type B shipping containers. This methodology will include design, analysis, testing, fabrication, procurement, and obtaining certification of the Type B containers, allowing usage in support of the United States Department of Energy programs. While all aspects of the packaging development are included in this methodology, this paper focuses on the use of analysis and testing techniques for enhancing the design and providing a basis for certification. This methodology is based on concurrent engineering principles. Multidisciplinary teams within LANL are responsible for the design and certification of specific Type B Radioactive Material Shipping Containers. These teams include personnel with the various backgrounds and areas of expertise required to support the design, testing, analysis and certification tasks. To demonstrate that a package can pass all the performance requirements, the design needs to be characterized as completely as possible. Understanding package responses to the various environments and how these responses influence the effectiveness of the packaging requires expertise in several disciplines. In addition to characterizing the shipping container designs, these multidisciplinary teams should be able to provide insight into improving new package designs.