Instrumented Measurements on Radioactive Waste Disposal Containers During Experimental Drop Testing

In context with disposal container safety assessment of containers for radioactive waste the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) performed numerous drop tests in the last years. The tests were accompanied by extensive and various measurement techniques especially by instrumented measurements with strain gages and accelerometers. The instrumentation of a specimen is an important tool to evaluate its mechanical behavior during impact. Test results as deceleration-time and strain-time functions constitute a main basis for the validation of assumptions in the safety analysis and for the evaluation of calculations based on finite-element methods. Strain gauges are useful to determine the time dependent magnitude of any deformation and the associated stresses. Accelerometers are widely used for the measuring of motion i.e. speed or the displacement of the rigid cask body, vibration and shock events. In addition high-speed video technique can be used to visualize and analyze the kinematical impact scenario by motion analysis. The paper describes some selected aspects on instrumented measurements and motion analysis in context with low level radioactive waste (LLW) container drop testing.