CRUSHING CHARACTERISTICS OF SPRUCE WOOD USED IN IMPACT LIMITERS OF TYPE B PACKAGES

The material spruce wood is frequently used in impact limiters of Type B transport packages. In order to develop and parametrize an appropriate finite element material model, the crushing characteristics of spruce wood have been determined. A large number of crush tests was performed at BAM test facilities to generate a comprehensive data base. The parameter range in the crush test series results amongst others from the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material: e. g., the minimum temperature considered was -40 °C and the maximum strain rate applied was derived from the 9 m drop test. Cubical spruce wood specimens were tested using a servo hydraulic impact testing machine for initial strain rates of up to 30 1/s. A machine for guided drop tests was used for initial strain rates of up to 133 1/s. Drop masses of up to 1,200 kg were therefore used from drop heights of up to 9 m. The results presented in the paper include force-displacement characteristics and deformation behavior of spruce wood. Thereby the effects of strain rate, temperature, fiber-load orientation and lateral constraint are considered. Higher strain rates led to increasing crush forces, especially for loading perpendicular to the fiber. Higher temperature resulted in decreasing crush forces. The crush force level was significantly lower for load perpendicular to the fiber and the crushing characteristics differed compared to load parallel to the fiber. Without lateral constraint, the specimens expanded laterally, i. e. the plastic Poisson's ratio (if wood is considered a continuum) was not zero. Crush forces were comparably low and for load parallel to the fiber there was a significant softening effect. Lateral constraint of the specimens increased the crush force level and limited the softening effect. The results of the crush tests are used to derive modeling requirements and some assumptions for the development of a finite element material model for spruce wood. Possible future research work is pointed out.