Stress Concentration Factor Calculation for the Hooks in Lifting Appliance of Spent Fuel Well Cover

The spent nuclear fuel of HTR-PM (High Temperature Reactor–Pebblebed Modules) will be dry stored in wells. In the mouth of each well, there is a cover weighing 11 tons. A lifting appliance with three hooks is used to open and close the covers. The hooks are L-shaped with fillet at the inside corner. The stress concentration at the corner has a significant impact on the strength and fatigue life of hooks. For optimizing the structure of the hook, the stress concentration factor related to the radius of fillet is calculated by both theoretical and numerical methods. The theoretical calculation is based on the Saint-Venant’s Principle and the analytical solution of a curved beam. The result is consistent with the numerical calculation performed by the finite element method.