A Method for Evaluating Structural Transducers Used in Type B Package Testing*

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) tasted the US. Department of Energy (DOE) with establishins and operatina a comprehensive, integrated system for disposal of the nation's spent nuclear fuel and hiah·leYel radioactive waste and established the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) within DOE to fulfill that responSJbility. A key component of the disposal program is the deYelopment and operation of a transportation system to move the waste from its present locations to disposal facilities. A fleet of casks capable of transporting the waste by truck, rail, or barge is being deYeloped. As a result of an agreement between DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), each cask must be certified by the NRC To meet these requirements, OCRWM is undertaking a program to desian, test. ce~. and fabricate a variety of caslc systems. Design verification tests will be performed by the caslc contractor to demonstrate design safety and to aid in cask certification by the NRC During Type B packaging desian verification testing designers may verify analytical calculations with instrumentation data. Many packqinp are tested with accelerometers and strain gages, collectively known u tranaducen, that measure structural response. Accelerometers measure acceleration and strain gages measure surface strain at the mounted location. 1bis paper descn\"bes a method developed for OCRWM to evaluate various transducers of these two types that have been suggested for use in design verification testing. TypicaUy transducers are characterized by the manufacturer under laboratory conditions. In this program rugedness, failure frequency, repeatability, and manufacturer's data under field and laboratory conditions were investigated.