Abstract:
This document provides a comprehensive overview of several underlying calculation reports that use finite element (FE) analysis to determine the mechanical response of a waste package and its internal components to vibratory ground motion. The primary objective is to evaluate potential mechanical damage, such as residual stress-induced cracking in the outer corrosion barrier (OCB) and buckling-induced failure of fuel rod cladding. The calculations employ commercial FE software, including ANSYS for mesh generation and LS-DYNA for transient analysis. These FE models are simplified representations of the waste package, its pallet, and the surrounding environment, designed to be computationally efficient while providing conservative and bounding results. The study performs a parametric analysis using various ground motion levels, with key input parameters such as ground motion time histories and friction coefficients being stochastically sampled. The analysis also includes supplemental studies, such as mesh refinement and sensitivity analyses, to ensure that the results are robust and not overly dependent on modeling assumptions. The outputs of these FE calculations, including damaged area estimates and g-loads on fuel assemblies, serve as the basis for damage abstractions used in the seismic scenario class for Total System Performance Assessment-License Application (TSPA-LA).
