Development of a Benchmark Series of Cask Drops for Validation of Explicit Dynamic Finite Element Analyses

Package designers are increasingly relying on explicit dynamic finite element analyses to determine the response of packages to impact events. In order for regulators to accept these analyses, the designer must demonstrate that the analyses are valid. One way to accomplish this is by comparison between analysis results and test results, in a process known as benchmarking. Often times, this is done by subjecting a scale model version of the package being designed to a physical test and using the data generated from that test to benchmark the analyses. Usually the results of these tests are held as proprietary information by the package designers and are not available for others to use for benchmarking their own analyses. In order to have a benchmark problem that was accessible to all designers, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission contracted Sandia National Laboratories to produce a benchmark problem statement report and test results report based upon earlier tests conducted on the ructural Evaluation Test Unit. This paper summarizes these two reports.