An Approach to Efficient Structural Analysis of Packaging

There is no established structural analysis procedure for radioactive material transportation packagings. This may be because the structural-design performance is specified in terms of package-design requirements of containment, shielding, and subcriticality rather than structural-design requirements of stress and strain limits. Thus, an approach to efficient structural analysis of packages would entail the following steps: (1) Obtain full understanding of the intended function of all packaging components; (2) Use this understanding and structural and nuclear engineering insight and, if necessary, simplified analyses, to identify potential packaging structural weaknesses which may lead to violation of the packaging regulatory requirements; (3) Analyze the weaknesses to establish the structural performance requirement based on the package requirements; and (4) Use appropriate structural analysis methods and models to determine the margin of safety of the package against these weaknesses or failure modes. This paper will give examples to demonstrate the application of the approach.