3D METROLOGY ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURAL DAMAGES ON TYPE B SHIPPING CONTAINER COMPARED TO PREDICTED FEA RESULTS AFTER COMPLETION OF NCT AND HAC REGULATORY TESTING

Packages used to transport Type B quantities of radioactive materials must meet normal conditions of transportation (NCT) and hypothetical accident condition (HAC) requirements as defined in Title 10 of the US Code of Federal Regulations, Part 71.71 and 71.73. Evaluating package designs to these criteria typically involves a combination of analysis and physical testing. These required physical tests include free drop, crush, puncture, penetration, compression, vibration, water spray, water immersion, and thermal tests which result in cumulative structural damages that must be evaluated and measured for comparison with data obtained from modeling and other specified standards. This paper describes a comparison of the structural dimensions of a Type B package that has undergone a series of NCT and HAC tests to the finite element analysis (FEA) model. Dimensional data of the Type B package test unit (TU) was collected using a high-quality 3D scanner. This scan data was then analyzed in a CAD environment to extract the structural damage dimensions that the package experienced. The scanned data was finally compared to the corresponding structural damaged area predicted from the FEA model. Results obtained from the comparison of the 3D scanned package to the LS DYNA results showed small differences in the diametric and localized impact dimensions. However, most of the dimensions did not vary significantly. These discrepancies were most likely the result of slight variations in the impact drop angles of the physical NCT and HAC tests, whereas the FEA results were created in a perfect orientation.