Validation of a FEA model of a Nuclear Transportation Package under Impact Conditions

This paper describes a validation study of an Finite Element (FE) model of a nuclear transportation package under impact conditions against drop testing under regulatory conditions. The main purpose of the study was to demonstrate good comparison of damage in the analytical predictions seen in the FE model against actual drop testing. Four drop orientations were considered which involves both primary and secondary impacts. The impact analysis of the package was performed using LS-Dyna, making use of many capabilities of the tool, one of which was to model the shock absorber material of the package which is made from an anisotropic material. Importance of modelling the material directions of such materials is not always easy to get right.