Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology

This study introduces a strain limit-based evaluation method that considers stress triaxiality to assess the structural integrity of radioactive waste transport containers. Unlike conventional stress-based approaches, this method provides a more precise assessment of localized plastic deformation and damage. By incorporating strain-based failure criteria, it enables a realistic evaluation of impact-induced deformation under complex stress states. A post-processing program is developed to intuitively verify strain safety margins, improving assessment accuracy. Additionally, sub-modeling techniques refined the strain distribution analysis in damage-concentrated areas, which could not be captured in full-scale simulations. This enhances the reliability of impact evaluations. Based on these procedures, a drop safety verification process was established for the freight container used in low- and intermediate-level waste transport. The results demonstrated the feasibility of strain limit-based evaluation in practical applications. This approach improves the structural assessment of transport containers and contributes to the advancement of design and certification processes.

Keywords

Transport container, Radioactive waste, Drop test, Stress triaxiality, Strain limit