Effect of material properties of impact limiter steel on drop accident of spent nuclear fuel transport cask

In this study, the sensitivity of the drop response according to changes in material properties was analyzed to determine the material properties that have a dominant influence on energy absorption performance. Parametric analyses were performed using a spent nuclear fuel (SNF) transport cask as an example, wherein the parameters were the material properties related to the stiffness of the steel (the elastic modulus, yield strength, and tangent modulus) that constitutes an impact limiter installed in the SNF transport cask. On the basis of the analysis results, the absorbed impact energy and transmitted energy were quantitatively calculated and the variations in the structural response were identified. In addition, changes in the structural safety of the SNF transport cask were investigated. The results of this study suggest that material properties must be considered to effectively design a structure that absorbs impact energy.