Dynamic Analysis of a Radioactive Material Package Primary Containment Vessel in a High Pressure Event

This paper discusses the evaluation of the structural integrity of the Primary Containment Vessel (PCV) of a 9975 Shipping Package for radioactive materials subjected to an instantaneously applied pressure load. The instantaneous pressure increase is based on the postulated structural failure of a plutonium oxide container caused by either over pressurization due to detonation or gradual gas buildup. A nonlinear dynamic analysis was performed for a partial 9975 shipping package to evaluate the structural response of the PCV excited by the instantaneous pressurization. The structural integrity of the PCV is justified based on the analytical results in comparison with the stress criteria specified in the ASME Code, Section III, Appendix F for Level D service loads.