External loads applied to packages during routine transport

Abstract

Packages carrying radioactive material experience a range of environmental conditions during routine transport including temperatures, pressures and shocks. Concerning the mechanical loadings, the packages are subjected to, the advisory material TS-G-1·1 indicates that, ‘due to the differences in transport infrastructures and practices, the recommended acceleration factors, which represent the package inertial effects, could differ from one country to another and that the package designer should confirm the acceptability of those factors’. In this context, the Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire (IRSN) performed a bibliographical study relative to accelerations measured on packages during transport. This study shows some variations with the acceleration factors mentioned in TS-G-1·1. It also highlights areas where data are missing. In these areas, further measurement campaigns should be performed. An international project under the auspices of IAEA could provide opportunities for collecting a large set of results and facilitate the needed international consultation.