Design and Validation of a Vibration-damping Retention Device for a New Fuel Assembly Transport Container

WU Xiaoyong

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.13.004

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (13) : 26-36. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.13.004

Special Topic on Radiation Protection and Shielding Technologies for Multiple Scenarios in Complex Radiation Fields

Design and Validation of a Vibration-damping Retention Device for a New Fuel Assembly Transport Container

WU Xiaoyong

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Abstract

To ensure the tie-down safety and effective vibration damping of a new fuel assembly transport container during off-site transportation, the work aims to specifically design a vibration-damping tie-down device. A double-layer grid-type tie-down device was developed, which achieved horizontal and vertical restriction through positioning pins and clamping beams, and incorporated multiple vibration-damping measures with wire rope isolators and natural rubber pads. Finite element simulation and highway transport tests were conducted for validation: the finite element method was employed to verify the tie-down strength under the more stringent railway acceleration combinations specified in IAEA SSG-26. Highway transport tests were performed with sensors arranged along the path from vehicle suspension to container interior to carry out time-domain, frequency-domain and vibration transmission analyses, thereby evaluating the damping performance of the device. Simulation results showed that under combined accelerations of (5 g, 2 g, 1 g) and (5 g, 2 g, -3 g), the maximum stresses in all major load-bearing components remained below the material yield strengths, confirming that the tie-down structure met the design strength requirements. Transport test monitoring data demonstrated that vibration and shock loads exhibited an overall attenuation trend along the transmission path, with particularly notable attenuation across the damping base. Throughout the highway transport, the maximum tri-axial accelerations inside the container did not exceed 3.5 g, well below the 6 g impact limit. The designed tie-down device satisfies both structural strength and damping performance requirements for engineering transport applications, and this work may serve as a reference for the tie-down system design and damping optimization of similar nuclear fuel transport containers.

Key words

transport package / new fuel assembly / tie-down device / vibration damping / transport test

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WU Xiaoyong. Design and Validation of a Vibration-damping Retention Device for a New Fuel Assembly Transport Container[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(13): 26-36 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.13.004

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