LOADING ON FUEL RODS IN A SURROGATE PWR ASSEMBLY SUBJECTED TO SIMULATED NORMAL CONDITIONS OF TRUCK TRANSPORT

Tests were performed to directly measure loads on fuel rods in a fuel assembly subjected to conditions of normal truck transport. A PWR assembly with surrogate fuel rods was subjected to vibration and shock spectra derived from data obtained by measuring accelerations on actual truck casks. The fuel assembly was within a basket which was attached to a shaker simulating the configuration of an assembly within a truck cask. Three Zircaloy-4 fuel rods were instrumented with accelerometers and strain gauges to measure the loads on the rods imparted by vibrations and shocks. The results are discussed in terms of potential implications of the transport of embrittled fuel-rod cladding.