Analysis of Nuclear Material Shipping Containers Using a Three-Dimensional, Dynamic Finite-Element Program.

摘要

The methods employed at Sandia National Laboratories to conduct 3-D analyses of the structural response of nuclear-material shipping containers to regulatory and accident environments are described. First, the pre-processing program used to construct the finite-element model of the container is described, followed by a discussion of the computer program utilized to calculate the deformations and the stresses in the container. Third, the post-processing programs and their options are described. This is followed by a group of examples from various container analyses to illustrate the modeling, analysis, and presentation of the results. Three-dimensional, finite-element analyses are rapidly becoming feasible due to advances in both computer hardware and software. Since many regulatory and accident environments are 3-D in nature, these analyses allow the structural behavior of nuclear materials shipping containers in response to these environments to be predicted. By using appropriate pre-processing and post-processing programs, the models can be created in a reasonable and economical period of time, and the results can be displayed in a way that increases the understanding of the results of the analyses. (ERA citation 08:036756)