Mechanical Testing of Component Size Specimen Under Impact Conditions

For validation of structural integrity under normal and hypothetical accident conditions during transport and storage of radioactive material the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) focuses its safety related scientific research on advanced mechanical safety assessment methods including simulation of high rate impact of model components and structures. A drop and crash test facility with an unyielding target and a load capacity of 1.200 kg was designed for materials testing of component size specimen under impact conditions at elevated and higher loading rates. The maximum drop height is 12 meters which enables impact velocities up to 15 m/s. An exactly falling test object or drop weight allows impact, bending, compression as well as crash and crush tests with maximum input energy of 118 kJ. An arresting unit has been developed to avoid multiple impacts during instrumented drop tests. The paper presents experimental techniques and examples of various measurement methods and advancements in order to assess assumption of materials and components behavior by definite displacement and stresses within mechanical testing. Instrumented drop weight tests are performed to complete materials data base and energy absorption of shock-absorbing materials and structures as well as to implement materials and structural parameters into FEA of reference structures. Furthermore, fracture mechanics parameters of thick walled DCI containers by means of dynamic bending tests are characterized by crack initiation and crack resistance behavior at the lowest operational temperature depending on the strain rate.