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A testing rig for the measurement of the dynamic loads on the rails due to cargo sloshing,has been proposedin this paper. The system represents a scale-down approach that simulates astraightening maneuver of the railway car after negotiating a turn. As part of the experimental effort, a mathematical model was developed that, oncevalidated, will provide more insights about the potential effect of many other cardesign factors, on the level of stress developed in the raildue to the sloshing cargo.A fundamental output from the testing, will be the objective comparison between the railloads due toa sloshing and a non-sloshing cargo, together with a validated model that wouldallow parametric studies in relation withthe potential effect,of several track and carproperties,on the magnitude of the sloshing forces on the rail.
Commidities and rail damage
(2018)
A roll-plane simplified model, representing the suspended body-cargo of a railway car, was developed to simulate thedynamic response of a railway car while subjectedto lateral acceleration derived from its traveling along curved tracks. The model provides the means to calculate the suspension forces, which are supposed to be transmitted to the bogie´s wheelset. For the analysis of the potential effect of such forces on the railway fatigue life, different performance measures were considered, under different concepts. A family of curves were produced to analyze the effect of the height of the center of gravity of the body-cargo system, on the different performance measures. The resultingdiagramswereused to assess the rail damage potentials offour different railway cars. Results suggest that the height of the center of gravity, associated to the different types of railway cars, nonlinearly and strongly affects the fatigue lifeof the rail, with the double stack car being the moreinfrastructure-aggressive. In this respect, experimental evidence should be provided about such remarkable effects, so as to supportsome operational recommendationsthat shouldbe taken to mitigate these effects, including, for example, the regulation of the traveling speed of some vehicles.
The use of glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) can reduce the weight of tanks significantly. By replacing steel with GRP in tanks for gases (propane, etc.) a weight reduction of up to 50 % was reached. In this project not only the material should be optimized, but also the design. Previous tanks consist of a double-walled structure with an insulation layer between the two shells (e.g. vacuum). Goal of this project is to realize a single-walled construction of GRP with an insulation layer on the outside.
To determine the temperature dependent material values, two different experiments are performed: In the first experiment, temperature dependent material properties of liquid nitrogen found in literature research are validated in a simple setup. The level of liquid nitrogen in a small jar is measured over the experiment time. Numerical simulation shows the change of nitrogen level with sufficient precision. In the second experiment, a liquid nitrogen is applied on one side of a GRP plate. Temperature is measured with thermocouples on top and bottom of the GRP plate, as well as in the middle of the plate. By use of numerical simulation, temperature dependent thermal conductivity is determined.
In the third experiment, a test stand is designed to examine different insulation materials. In this test stand, the insulation material can easily be changed. A numerical simulation, in which the determined material data is used, is performed as well for this test stand.
The experiments show, that GRP can be used in cryogenic environments. Multiphase simulations are a suitable tool to describe the energy absorption of thermal energy due to thermal phase change. Results on different insulation materials will follow.
Optical and thermal analysis of PVB encapsulant polymer functionalized with luminescent organic dyes
(2018)
This work focused on the technology of luminescent down shift (LDS), with a primary aim to identify and investigate a methodology to introduce the luminescent organic dye into PVB polymer encapsulant as emergent material for photovoltaic application. For this goal, we propose to study the feasibility to implement the LDS functionality and to identify suitability of available luminescent to be incorporated into the host polymer encapsulant material. The first step to this direction was through a comprehensive optical study of Violet 570 (V) organic dye in ethanol solvent. The methodology and experimental conditions such as laboratory polymer preparation and luminescence dye concentration were presented. Also, the emergent polymer encapsulant sheets were characterized by using optical and thermal analysis techniques. The absorption spectrum of the prepared PVB material shifts towards longer wavelengths, with increasing organic dye concentration.
The containment systems of transport casks for spent fuel and high radioactive waste usually include bolted lids with metallic or elastomeric seals.
The mechanical and thermal loadings associated with the routine, normal and accident conditions of transport can have a significant effect on the leak tightness of such containment system.
Scaled cask models are often used for providing the required mechanical and thermal tests series. Leak tests have been conducted on those models.
It is also common practice to use scaled component tests to investigate the influence of deformations or displacements of the lids and the seals on the standard leakage rate as well as to study the temperature and time depending alteration of the seals.
In this paper questions of the transferability of scaled test results to the full size design of the containment system will be discussed.
Numerical approach to determine the correct puncture bar length for the IAEA puncture bar drop test
(2018)
Among other mechanical tests the 1 meter drop onto a steel puncture bar shall be considered for accident safe packages for the transport of radioactive material. According with the IAEA regulations “the bar shall be of solid mild steel of circular section, 15.0 ± 0.5 cm in diameter and 20 cm long, unless a longer bar would cause greater damage…”. The most damaging puncture bar length can be estimated by iterative processes in numerical simulations. On the one hand, a sufficient puncture bar length has to guarantee that shock absorbers or other attachments do not prevent or reduce the local load application to the package, on the other hand, a longer and thus less stiff bar causes a smaller maximum contact force. The contrary influence of increasing puncture bar length and increasing effective drop height shall be taken into account if a shock absorber is directly placed in the target area. The paper presents a numerical approach to identify the bar length that causes maximum damage to the package. Using the example of two typical package masses the sensitivity of contact forces and puncture bar deformations to the initial length are calculated and assessed with regard to the international IAEA package safety requirements.
THz and mid IR spectroscopy of high-molecular PE (HMW) and ultra high-molecular PE (UHMW) reveals modifications of the molecular structure. Characteristic absorption bands are changed if the two materials are exposed by γ-Co60 radiation up to 600 kGy and subsequently stored at an annealing temperature of 398 K until for 729 days.
Accident safe packages for the transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste shall fulfil international IAEA safety requirements. Compliance is shown by consecutive mechanical and thermal testing. Additional numerical analysis are usually part of the safety evaluation. For damage protection some package designs are equipped with wood filled impact limiters encapsulated by steel sheets. The safety of these packages is established in compliance with IAEA regulations. Cumulative mechanical and fire tests are conducted to achieve safety standards and to prevent loss of containment. Mechanical reliability is proven by drop tests. Drop testing might cause significant damage of the impact limiter steel sheets and might enable sufficient oxygen supply to the impact limiter during the fire test to ignite the wood filling. The boundary conditions of the fire test are precisely described in the IAEA regulatory. During the test the impact limiter will be subjected to a 30 minute enduring fire phase. Subsequent to the fire phase any burning of the specimen has to extinguish naturally and no artificial cooling is allowed. At BAM a large-scale fire test with a real size impact limiter and a wood volume of about 3m3 was conducted to investigate the burning behaviour of wood filled impact limiters in steel sheet encapsulation. The impact limiter was equipped with extensive temperature monitoring equipment. Until today burning of such impact limiters is not sufficiently considered in transport package design and more investigation is necessary to explore the consequences of the impacting fire. The objective of the large scale test was to find out whether a self-sustaining smouldering or even a flaming fire inside the impact limiter was initiated and what impact on the cask is resulting. The amount of energy, transferred from the impact limiter into the cask is of particular importance for the safety of heavy weight packages. With the intention of heat flux quantification a new approach was made and a test bench was designed.
Due to high specific stiffness, fibre reinforced plastics are the dominant material group for the design of mobile pressure vessels. At the Federal Institute of Materials Research and Testing (BAM) aging process of composite pressure vessels is studied to be able to give more accurate lifetime predictions in future. Investigations are based on type III breathing air cylinders consisting of an aluminium tank which is fully wrapped with carbon fibre reinforced plastics. Goal is to detect changes of residual stresses over life time which directly affect fatigue strength. Within this paper an approach is presented to monitor residual stresses via an experimental modal analysis (EMA). First, the influence of changed stress conditions on modal parameters is analysed via a numerical study. Secondly, a test bench for an EMA is set up. To be able to analyse cylinders of different prestress condition, several specimens are prestress modified via high-temperature and high-pressure treatment. During modification processes, specimens are monitored via optical fibres to control prestress modifications. Through experimental measurements of the modified specimens via EMA changes in prestressing can be detected. Finally, validity and accuracy of the EMA is evaluated critically by comparing all numerically and experimentally obtained data.
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.
Elastomers show a high versatility which makes them ideal materials for sealing applications in various fields. Especially under changing application conditions the high recovery potential of this class of material is beneficial to compensate temperature or pressure fluctuation, and geometrical changes resulting from mechanical loads in e.g. accident conditions. Out of these reasons elastomers are also used in containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and for spent fuel transportation casks. In casks designed for low and intermediate level waste elastomer seals can act as primary seal responsible for the containment function whereas in spent fuel storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks (DPC)) elastomer seals are used as auxiliary seals to allow leakage rate measurements of metal barrier seals. An inherent prerequisite for this kind of application is the Long time-scale of operation without or with limited possibility of seal replacement. In Germany an interim storage license for DPC`s is typically issued for 40 years, a timeframe which might increase in the future due to challenges of the final repository siting procedure. For low and intermediate level waste, also long time periods are required before final disposal can be achieved. Therefore, the performance of elastomer seals over extended time periods is, as for other applications, of high importance.
A typical approach to ensure long-term functionality is to perform accelerated aging tests to calculate an estimated lifetime by assuming e.g. Arrhenius like equations for the timetemperature relationship. This approach requires a suitable end of life criterion considering the application of interest. This often can represent a challenge on its own.
As BAM is involved in most of the cask licensing procedures and especially responsible for the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues we initiated several test programs for investigating the behavior of elastomer seals. Experiments concerning the low temperature performance down to -40 °C and the influence of gamma irradiation have been started first.
Currently the thermal aging behavior of elastomer seals, which is the topic of this contribution, is examined. For our aging investigations we use a broad approach to first determine the property changes in different elastomer materials due to thermo-oxidative aging at elevated temperatures and secondly, we test how the typical methods of lifetime extrapolation can be applied to these results. This Approach enables us to detect and exclude undesired side effects which very often influence lifetime estimations. In this contribution, our recent results are extended. The results show that lifetime estimation based on single material properties can be misleading and therefore a combination of several methods is recommended.
Greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities remain one of the most important subjects of international discussions. The routine gas flaring has been estimated to be responsible for as much as 1% of global carbon dioxide emission per year. Gas flaring analysis is one of the key-interest subjects in remote sensing community. Some of the existing publications use remote sensing techniques with satellite imagery to derive information about flame temperature and further about to estimate the volume of the flared gas. The often missing element is an in-situ measurement analysis of gas flames, combining signals recorded by a camera on-ground and data on flared gas volume, temperature and gas type. In order to address this problem, an experiment was conducted, in which the gas flame was recorded by thermal cameras on-ground, simultaneously to an aerial survey and the gas flow was measured at the same time on-ground. The measurement setup was designed in cooperation between Institute of Optical Sensor Systems of German Aerospace Center (DLR) and German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). Cameras recording in thermal and mid-wave IR wavelengths were used to record the burning gas on-ground and from the aerial survey. All the measurements have been compared and statistically analysed with respect to the recorded temperature. The purpose of the examination was to describe the signal changes in thermal imagery with respect to changes in energy, emitted by the burning process. This approach will allow for later calculation of the amount of energy in form of thermal radiation sent from the flame to the satellite.
An experimental testing rig has been proposed to study the dynamic interaction between a liquid cargo and the carrying vehicle during turning maneuvers. The basic operational principle of the testing rig consists in simulating the lateral accelerations associated to turning maneuvers through the use of a tilt table.
While the experimental capabilities of the testing rig include the analysis of the effects of the cars on the whole transport infrastructure, including sleepers and ballast, a first use of the rig considered the effect of sloshing cargo on the level of dynamic forces transmitted to the rails. Such test was used to validate a simplified theoretical approach consisting of a two degree-of-freedom double pendulum mechanical system, where a simple pendulum, representing the sloshing cargo, is articulated to the spring-supported vehicle chassis, which is modelled as an inverted torsional pendulum. While the theoretical results exhibit a high correlation with the experimental data, the main discrepancy between both outputs, relates with the frequency of the residual vibration, once the lateral acceleration input is ceased. Such difference in frequency, would imply an underestimation of the number of loading cycles to which the infrastructure is subjected. On the other hand, the peak values are within acceptable difference levels.
Elastomer seals are used in many industrial applications due to their excellent mechanical properties at a wide range of temperatures. Their high versatility and recovery potential under several load conditions make them well suitable for the application in containers designed for transport, storage and/or disposal of radioactive materials. In containers for low and intermediate level radioactive waste, elastomer seals are used as barrier seals, and as auxiliary seals in storage and transportation casks (dual purpose casks) for heat generating radioactive waste, such as spent fuel and high-level waste. While a seal exchange at defined intervals is typical in many conventional applications, it is impossible or at least hard to perform when principles of minimization of radiation exposure have to be considered and prohibit an unnecessary cask handling. An extensive knowledge of the change of the elastomer’s properties during aging and the availability of reliable end-of-lifetime criteria to guarantee the permanent safe enclosure of the radioactive material is mandatory. As BAM is involved in most of the national cask licensing procedures and in the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues, great efforts have been already made and are still planned to scientifically support this task.
Compression stress relaxation and compression set were identified as key indicators of elastomer long-term performance and quantitatively investigated in comprehensive test programs. Among other representative types of elastomers, specimens made from ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) were tested before, during and after aging to capture the most important of their complex mechanical properties.
In the presented study, exemplary results were used to simulate the compression stress relaxation and the compression set of elastomer O-rings during aging. Regarding the influence of temperature, the time-temperature superposition principle is applied in the relaxation analysis of elastomer O-rings. The proposed model is implemented in the commercial finite element software ABAQUS/Standard® [1] with a sequential temperature displacement coupling. Numerical results match the experimental compression stress relaxation measurements well. The prediction of compression set values after long-term aging shows a relatively good agreement with the experimental results. Nevertheless, all input parameters derived from the specimen tests, additional assumptions concerning boundary conditions and modeling strategy are discussed with regard to the identified slight discrepancies.
The possibility to extend the finite element model to represent the O-ring seal’s ability to recover after a (fast) partial release is taken into account.
Investigation of the internal impact during a 9 m drop test of an accident-safe waste package
(2021)
The safety assessment of packages for the transport of radioactive material follows the IAEA regulations and guidance. The specified regulatory tests cover severe accidents and demonstrate the package containment system integrity.
Special attention must be drawn to the behaviour of the content which could move inside the package due to unpreventable gaps caused by the loading procedure and the structure of the content. A possible internal impact of the content which occurs during the drop tests onto the lid system is investigated. The IAEA regulations SSR-6 and the Guidance SSG-26, revised recently, consider input from Germany and France related to the significance of internal gaps.
In the context of a waste package design assessment, a model was equipped with a representative content to conduct a drop test with an internal impact. The weight and kinetic impact of this content covered all possible real contents. The objective of the test was to maximize the load onto the lid system and to prove the mechanical integrity by complying with the required leak tightness. The test was conducted
conservatively at a package temperature lower than -40 °C at the BAM Test Site Technical Safety.
This paper gives an overview of efforts to address internal gaps and their consequences, and the BAM efforts with the implementation of this topic into IAEA regulations and guidance material. The paper then focuses on the conduction of a drop test and investigation of internal component impact.
The excellent mechanical properties of elastomer seals at a wide range of temperatures as well as their high versatility and recovery potential under several load conditions make these materials well suitable for the application in containers designed for transport and disposal of negligible heat generating radioactive waste. While a seal exchange at defined intervals is typical in many conventional applications, it is impossible or at least hard to perform when principles of minimization of radiation exposure have to be considered which prohibit an avoidable cask handling. An extensive knowledge of the change of the elastomer properties during aging and the availability of reliable end-of-lifetime criteria to guarantee the safe enclosure of the radioactive material for the required time are mandatory. As BAM is involved in most of the national cask licensing procedures and in the evaluation of cask-related long-term safety issues, great efforts have already been made and are still ongoing to scientifically support this task.
Among other representative types of elastomers, specimen made from ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) were tested before, during and after aging to capture the with respect to application most important of their complex mechanical properties.
Exemplary results of these investigations were used to calibrate material models implemented in the commercial finite element software ABAQUS/Standard®. The finite element model already presented in previous works uses a sequential temperature displacement coupling. The calculated compression stress relaxation (CSR) and compression set (CS) values do satisfactorily match the experimental results.
In many investigations performed at BAM both values (CSR and CS) were identified as key indicators of elastomer’s long-term performance.
However, the possibility to correlate these equivalent indicators with performance values such as tightness and leakage rate, measurable in the mounted state, is an important goal of our future work. In the presented study the ABAQUS® feature of “pressure penetration” is introduced in the suggested finite element model for this purpose. It provides the possibility to simulate the penetration of a gas into a possible gap between flange and O-ring causing an opening of a leakage path. Three dimensional and axis-symmetric finite element models were generated to represent flat and grooved flanges of different dimensions.
The sensitivity of the feature to several input parameters is investigated and the observed behavior of the O-ring is correlated with the results of performed leakage tests.
Abstract: The leaks of dangerous goods from actually intact bags detected in the years 2018 to 2020 tend to be at an almost constant high level. These releases of powdery or granular dangerous goods represent violations of the sift-proofness required in the dangerous goods regulations. This article first analyzes the causes. The components of the bags that are affected by leaks are micro-perforations, joins and closures, in particular internal sleeve valves.
A distinction must be made between bags closed in conformity with or contrary to the manufacturer's instructions.
The particle release is determined by a number of influencing factors of the filling substance, the packaging and other boundary conditions. Therefore, a comprehensive test concept is developed in this work, which takes all these factors into account. The application of this test concept facilitates the planning of the test setup and the experiments. On this basis, the complex mechanisms involved in the release of solid substances can be systematically investigated in the test laboratory. To prevent releases of powdery or granular substances from intact bags, it is necessary that the user has access to the closing instructions and the relevant properties of the test substance used for the design type approval. Further experimental investigations are needed to assess whether filling substances change their properties during transport and whether this enables them to escape.