Study on application of wood and orthogonal trapezoidal honeycomb aluminum as filling material for nuclear spent-fuel transport casks

Abstract

The filling material is an important part for nuclear spent-fuel transport casks, it can protect the inner structure of nuclear spent-fuel transport casks. Balsa wood and paulownia wood are common materials used as filling materials for nuclear equipment. However, wood has the disadvantages of grain and intolerance to humidity and heat. In this paper, the mechanical property of traditional filling materials -paulownia wood and balsa wood were studied. In addition, two new types of porous materials of 90° orthogonal trapezoidal honeycomb aluminum (90-OTHA) and 45° orthogonal trapezoidal honeycomb aluminum (45-OTHA) were designed. Quasi-static compression experiments (Y-direction) were used to test the mechanical property of these four materials. The experimental results showed that paulownia wood and balsa wood were better in the axial direction than in the radial direction. The mechanical properties of 45-OTHA were better than 90-OTHA. The peak stress of 45-OTHA was 1.25 times and 1.21 times and the average stress was 1.62 times and 1.32 times than that of axial paulownia wood and axial balsa wood, respectively. The total energy absorption of 45-OTHA was 1.9 times and 1.75 times than that of axial paulownia wood and axial balsa wood. It was concluded that OTHA has better mechanical properties than wood. Finally, by comparing energy absorption indicates that OTHA could be invoked as a filling material for nuclear-spent fuel transport casks to replace wood.