TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - von der Ehe, Kerstin A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Stark, Wolfgang T1 - Understanding the low temperature properties of rubber seals N2 - Rubbers are widely used as main sealing materials for containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and as additional component to metal seals in spent fuel and high active waste containers. The save encapsulation of the radioactive container inventory has to be guaranteed according to legislation and appropriate guidelines for long term storage periods as well as down to temperatures of -40 °C during transport. Therefore the understanding of failure mechanisms that lead to leakage at low temperatures is of high importance. It is known that the material properties of rubbers are strongly temperature dependent. At low temperatures this is caused by the rubber-glass transition (abbr. glass transition). During continuous cooling the material changes from rubber-like entropy-elastic to stiff energy-elastic behaviour, that allows nearly no strain or retraction, due to the glass transition. Hence rubbers are normally used above their glass transition but the minimum working temperature limit is not defined precisely, what can cause problems during application. Therefore the lower operation temperature limit of rubber seals should be determined in dependence of the material properties. The results of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) are combined with the results of standardized measurements as the compression set according to ISO 815. To reduce the test time of the standard tests a faster technique was developed. Additionally, the breakdown temperature of the sealing function of complete O-ring seals is measured in a component test setup to compare it with the results of the other tests. The experimental setup is capable of measuring the leakage rate at low temperatures by the pressure rise method. A fluorocarbon rubber (FKM) was selected for this investigation as it is often used for radioactive waste containers. Some materials (seals and test sheets) were purchased from a commercial seal producer and some materials were compounded and cured at BAM in form of rubber sheets. T2 - PATRAM 2010 - 16th International symposium on the packaging and transport of radioactive materials CY - London, UK DA - 2010-10-03 KW - Dichtungen KW - Elastomere KW - Tieftemperaturverhalten PY - 2010 SP - 1 EP - 7 (Session T41 / Paper 169) AN - OPUS4-23887 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Performance of elastomer seals in transport and storage casks N2 - Elastomer seals are widely used as barrier seals in containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and for spent fuel transportation casks. In addition, they are also used for spent fuel storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks (DPC)) as auxiliary seals to allow leakage rate measurements of metal barrier seals for demonstration of their proper assembling conditions. Depending on the area of use, the rubber materials have to demonstrate proper sealing performance with regard to mechanical, thermal, and environmental conditions as well as irradiation during the entire operation period. Concerning DPC, degradation effects should be limited in a way that, for example, effects from potentially released decomposition elements may not harm e.g. metal barrier seals. Leakage rate measurements should be possible also after long interim storage periods prior to subsequent transportation. Because of the complex requirements resulting from the various applications of containers for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, BAM has initiated several test programmes for investigating the behaviour of elastomer seals. In this contribution the current status is described and first results are discussed. T2 - International conference on management of spent fuel from nuclear power reactors: An integrated approach to the back end of the fuel cycle CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 15.06.2015 KW - Ageing KW - Elastomer KW - Glass-rubber transition KW - Irradiation KW - Material model PY - 2015 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-33553 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Weber, Mike A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Zencker, Uwe A1 - Völzke, Holger A1 - Schulze, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich T1 - Testing and Numerical Simulation of Elastomers - From Specimen Tests to Simulation of Seal Behavior under Assembly Conditions N2 - Due to delays in the siting procedure to establish a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste as well as in construction of the already licensed Konrad repository for low and intermediate level radioactive waste, extended periods of interim storage become more relevant in Germany. BAM is involved in most of the cask licensing procedures and especially responsible for the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues. The long-term performance of elastomer seals for lid systems of transport and storage casks, whether used as auxiliary seals in spent fuel casks or as primary seals for low and intermediate level waste packages, is an important issue in this context. The polymeric structure of these seals causes a complex mechanical behavior with time-dependent sealing force reduction. The results of a comprehensive purpose-designed test program consisting of basic compression and tension tests as well as relaxation tests on unaged specimens of representative types of elastomers (fluorocarbon rubber (FKM) and ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM)) at different temperatures and strain rates are presented. They were used to identify the constitutive behavior and to obtain parameters for finite element material models provided by the computer code ABAQUS®. After estimating the influence of uncertainties such as Poisson’s ratio and friction coefficient by sensitivity analyses, the chosen parameters had to prove their suitability for the finite element simulation of the specimen tests themselves. Based on this preliminary work the simulation of a specific laboratory test configuration containing a typical elastomer seal with circular cross section is presented. The chosen finite element material model and the implemented parameters had to show that they are able to represent not only the specimen behavior under predominantly uniaxial load but also the more complex stress states in real components. Deviations between the measured and calculated results are pointed out and discussed. For the consideration of long-term effects in the simulation of elastomer behavior, test results of aged specimens are needed. First information about a new test program, started recently and planned to provide these data, are given. T2 - ASME 2017 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2017) CY - Waikoloa, Hawaii, USA DA - 16.07.2017 KW - Time dependent effects KW - Low temperature behavior KW - Elastomeric seals KW - Aging KW - Simulation KW - Testing PY - 2017 SN - 978-0-7918-5802-8 VL - 7 SP - Article UNSP V007T07A035, 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-41841 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Investigation programme for evaluation and prediction of the long-term behaviour of Helicoflex® metal seals N2 - In Germany, for the transport and storage of spent nuclear fuel, casks with double closure lid systems are used, which are equipped with Helicoflex® metal seals. The original interim storage period for these casks was planned to be 40 years. However, recent political developments indicate that a storage time of more than 80 years might be necessary. Therefore, the current storage licenses have to be renewed in due course, which requires extended knowledge of the long-term behaviour of all cask components. At the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), metal seals have been investigated after ageing at temperatures between room temperature and 150 °C for up to 7 years. At regular intervals the seals have been tested for leakage rate as well as for their mechanical behaviour. From these tests pronounced influence of ageing could be shown which results in the decrease of the seal force and the useable resilience. The main reason attributed to these performance changes is the increasing permanent deformation of the outer layer of the seal due to creep. So far, an explicit analytical description of the long-term behaviour that could be used for predictions exceeding the tested ageing times and temperatures was not suitable. In addition to the component tests that were already conducted, a comprehensive investigation programme has been started to describe the mechanical behaviour of the individual seal components. The individual seal components are tested regarding different material characteristics including creep, deformation and microstructural properties. The comparability of the material characterization is ensured by comparing the basic raw material of the specimen with the actual component material. Furthermore, detailed investigations of the time and temperature dependent deformation behaviour are realized by ageing seal segments at multiple temperatures for different periods of time and employing standardized tests. By analysing the acquired data in combination with the ongoing long-term component tests a dataset for analytical prediction of the long-term behaviour of the seals is intended for an extended period of time under a certain temperature regime. T2 - 48th Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology (AMNT 2017) CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 16.05.2017 KW - Metal seal KW - Creep KW - Long-term behavior PY - 2017 SP - 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-43418 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Schulz, Sebastian A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger ED - Berger, K.-F. ED - Kiefer, S. T1 - Langzeituntersuchungen an Metalldichtungen mit innen liegendem Federkern und doppelter Ummantelung N2 - In Deutschland werden in Transport- und Lagerbehältern (TLB) wärmeentwickelnde radioaktive Abfälle gegenwärtig über einen Zeitraum von bis zu 40 Jahren zwischengelagert. Aufgrund der Situation der noch nicht abgeschlossenen Endlagersuche werden hier möglicherweise Verlängerungen in Betracht zu ziehen sein. Im Deckeldichtsystem der TLB werden in der Regel Metalldichtungen vom Typ Helicoflex® eines französischen Herstellers verwendet, die aus einem innen liegenden Spiralfederkern und zwei Ummantelungen bestehen. Die Ermittlung der Fliess- und Relaxationseigenschaften der Dichtungskomponenten über den vorgesehenen langen Betriebseitraum sind vor dem Hintergrund des Erhalte eines geforderten hohen Dichtniveaus ein wichtiger Untersuchungsgegenstand. KW - Metalldichtung KW - Langzeiteignung KW - Dichtsysteme KW - Transport- und Lagerbehälter für radioaktive Stoffe PY - 2013 SN - 978-3-9811509-7-1 SP - 1 EP - 11 CY - Mannheim AN - OPUS4-28912 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Stark, Wolfgang A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Investigation of elastomer seal behavior for transport and storage packages N2 - Rubbers are widely used as main sealing materials for containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and as additional component to metal seals in spent fuel and high active waste containers. According to appropriate guidelines and regulations safe enclosure of the radioactive container contents has to be guaranteed for long storage periods as well as down to temperatures of -40 °C for transportation. Therefore the understanding of seal behavior is of high importance. In this paper we focus on the behavior of elastomer seals at low temperatures with regard to poten-tial decrease of leak-tightness. In addition, changes in material properties due to aging effects over long periods of time and their influence on the seal performance is investigated. It is known that material properties of rubbers are strongly temperature dependent. At low tempera-tures this is caused by the rubber-glass transition (abbr. glass transition). During continuous cool-ing, the material changes from rubber-like entropy-elastic to stiff energy-elastic behavior, that al-lows nearly no strain or retraction due to the glass transition. Hence rubbers are normally used above their glass transition but the minimum working temperature limit is not defined precisely. Aging of elastomer seals is important, as possible dynamic loads may have to be considered during the whole interim storage period (so far approved in Germany for up to 40 years) and for transporta-tion after storage. For the investigations, fluorocarbon (FKM) and ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubbers were selected as they are often used in radioactive waste containers. Some materials were purchased from a commercial seal producer and some materials were compounded and cured at BAM. The elastom-ers where studied by several thermo-analytical methods and compression set to characterize the material behavior at low temperatures. Additionally component tests were performed to determine the breakdown temperature of the sealing function of complete elastomer O-rings. T2 - PATRAM 2013 - 17th International symposium on the packaging and transportation of radioactive materials CY - San Francisco, CA, USA DA - 18.08.2013 PY - 2013 SP - Paper 227, 1 EP - 8 PB - Omnipress AN - OPUS4-30377 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Component and material investigations on metal seals for high level radioactive waste containers N2 - In Germany casks for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste are equipped with Helicoflex® metal seals as main sealing barrier of the double lid system. The long-term behaviour of those seals is investigated at Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in order to evaluate the safety function of the containment at different temperatures over storage periods of 40 years or more in case extended interim storage becomes necessary. Long-term investigations have been done for ageing times of up to 8.5 years at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 150 °C. It was found that the seal force and useable resilience decrease over time, which is mainly caused by creep deformation of the aluminium (or silver) outer jacket of the seals. This effect becomes stronger with increasing temperature. The ageing processes of the seal material and the overall seal behaviour is under investigation in order to derive analytical descriptions for the long-term seal performance. Thus, standardized tests on the basic seal materials, with focus on aluminium, and additional investigations on the seals as a component are conducted. The current investigations include compression and tension creep measurements as well as tensile testing. Furthermore, ageing of seal segments provides information on the development of the contact area width, jacket thickness and microstructural changes in dependence of time and temperature. The obtained data are used for the development of material models and an analytical approach to describe and predict the time and temperature dependent sealing behaviour in the long-term. T2 - 11th International Conference on the Transport, Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Materials CY - London, UK DA - 15.05.2018 KW - Metal seal KW - Creep KW - Long-term behavior PY - 2018 SP - 18535, 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-45452 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Investigation of the time and temperature dependent behavior of metal seals in radioactive waste containers N2 - The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –Prüfung (BAM) runs an investigation program on the long-term behavior of multi-component metal seals. Such seals are used in a wide area of applications including transport and storage casks for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste. The seal function is mainly based on the compression of the inner helical spring, which generates the necessary seal force to keep the sealing surfaces in close contact. This in turn leads to a plastic deformation of the outer jacket of the seal, comprised of highly ductile aluminum or silver that adapts to the sealing surfaces of cask body and bolted lid, thus providing high Level leak tightness. In Germany, those casks are licensed for Interim storage periods of up to 40 years or more if extended Interim storage would become necessary before a final repository is available. Thus, the sealing performance has to be evaluated, including factors like elevated temperature due to decay heat or mechanical loads due to transport under normal as well as accident conditions. Long-term investigations at BAM have been running over the last nine years to identify and evaluate the seal performance by measuring the remaining seal force, the useable resilience and the leakage rate after various time intervals at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 150 °C. It was found that the seal force and useable resilience decrease with time and temperature, caused by creep deformation of the outer jacket. In order to obtain an analytical description for the seal behavior and to achieve more information on the material behavior under application conditions a comprehensive investigation program with Focus on aluminum as outer jacket material was launched. The program includes material investigations such as compression and tension creep tests with representative basic materials. An additional test setup allows for the continuous measurement of the remaining seal force at temperatures of up to 150 °C. Furthermore, seal segments are compressed and stored in heating chambers, thus producing segments at different stages of the aging process. The segments are investigated regarding the development of the contact area width, jacket thickness and microstructural changes. This data will be used to develop material models and an analytical description of the time and temperature dependent long-term sealing behavior. This paper explains the current status of gained test results and modelling approaches and closes with an outlook to the future Project plans. T2 - ASME 2018 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference CY - Prague, Czech Republic DA - 15.07.2018 KW - Metal seal KW - Creep KW - Long-term behavior PY - 2018 SP - PVP2018-84584, 1 EP - 6 AN - OPUS4-46110 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Kömmling, Anja A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Völzke, Holger ED - Stuke, M. T1 - Long-term evaluation of sealing systems for radioactive waste packages N2 - The investigation of the long-term performance of sealing systems employed in containers for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is one research focus area for division 3.4 “Safety of Storage Containers” at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM). Our investigations comprise investigations on metallic and elastomeric seals and covers experimental investigations to get a database on the component/material behaviour, work on analytical descriptions and numerical analysis. Our aim is to understand the long-term behaviour of the sealing systems for evaluation of their performance during possible extended interim storage and subsequent transportation. T2 - 3rd Workshop on Safety of Extended Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel CY - Garching, Germany DA - 05.06.2019 KW - Seal performance KW - Rubber seal KW - Metallic seal KW - Ageing PY - 2019 SP - 57 EP - 62 AN - OPUS4-48225 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grelle, Tobias A1 - Wolff, Dietmar A1 - Probst, Ulrich A1 - Jaunich, Matthias A1 - Völzke, Holger T1 - Component and material investigations on metal seals for high level radioactive waste containers N2 - Long-term investigations performed at BAM look to extend the state of knowledge on safety-related components of interim storage containers. Metal seals act as the primary sealing barrier in the bolted double lid closure system of the containers. The behaviour of metal seals has been investigated for ageing times up to 8.5 years and for various temperatures. The main cause for reduction in useable resilience overtime was due to creep deformation of the outer jacket of the seal. KW - Metal seal KW - Radioactive waste containers KW - Creep KW - Long-term behaviour PY - 2018 SN - 1745-2058 SP - 32 EP - 34 PB - Nuclear Institute CY - London AN - OPUS4-48206 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -