[en] The testing station of the Scientific and technique study centre of Aquitaine is described. Materials and systems are evaluated by mechanical tests (vibration, shock, centrifugation), climatic tests, ballistic tests etc. In particular it is equipped for fire test of active container (30 B with UF₆), explosions, UF₆ release. It has the agreement of the Ministry for qualification of packaging for dangerous materials transport

[en] In order to verify the behaviour of equipments under extreme environmental conditions (propulsion, falls, impacts...), it is necessary to create 'high level and long duration shocks'. For these shocks, the velocity variation ΔV, which is equal to the area under the accelerogram γ (t), can reach several hundred meters per second. These velocity variations cannot be performed via classical free fall shock machine (ΔV <=30 m.s). The object of this paper is to explain how laboratories of CEA/CESTA has tackled this problem. The facilities operated for this are air guns (50 to 300 mm diameter), the most powerfull of which can throw a 50 kg projectile at 400 m/s. This paper deals with 3 topics i.e.: - Methods for producing shocks; - Caracteristics of the shocks which are obtained; - Measurements lines for input shock verification and equipment behaviour testing

[en] In the analysis of missile crashing on a reactor containment there are two main effects to be taken into account: the overall behaviour of the building; the local perforation. The overall behaviour of the building is easily calculated when the applied force as a function of time is known. Two calculation examples are presented. The local perforation is a much more difficult problem and experimental work is necessary. The report presents a series of perforation tests of concrete plates by cylindrical missiles with a flat nose. The aim of these tests is to extrapolate for the lower speeds the existing experimental correlations and to check the calculation methods. The calculations are made with the PASTEL code (Finite elements, implicit integration), with elastoplasticity of the reinforcing steel bars and the concrete. Various plastification and fracturation laws are tested. (Auth.)

[en] The work described is a contribution to the assessment of aircraft hazards for nuclear power plants. A series of tests was performed to outline the behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs impinged by rigid missiles. Prediction of results was tried by means of finite element computation with elastic-plastic constitutive law for the concrete. Although results are encouraging, no general correlation was carried out. (Auth.)

[en] In the analysis of missile crashing on a reactor containment there are two main effects to be taken into account: the overall behavior of the building; the local perforation. The overall behavior of the building is easily calculated when the applied force as a function of time is known. Two calculation examples are presented. The local perforation is a much more difficult problem and experimental work is necessary. The report presents a series of perforation tests of concrete plates by cylindrical missiles with a flat nose. The aim of these tests is to extrapolate for the lower speeds the existing experimental correlations (Petry, HN-NDRC, BRL...) and to check the calculation methods. The calculations are made with the PASTEL Code (Finite elements, implicit integration), with elastoplasticity of the reinforcing steel bars and the concrete. Various plastification and fracturation laws will be tested

[en] During handling of the container within the reactor containment, its shock absorber casing is removed, and it is possible that after an accidental crash a loss of protection or tightness may occur. Three crash tests with 1/5 scale models weighing 800 kg each have been performed at the Centre d'Etudes Scientifiques et Techniques d'Aquitaine (CEA, Bordeaux). - The models were cylindrical and composed of an internal steel vessel surrounded successively by lead, plaster compound and an external steel vessel. A rigid internal load simulated the fuel. The first model fell flat from 10 m. The aim of this prudent crash was to test the experimental apparatus and to be able to make preliminary numerical comparisons for a not much deformed model. The second and the third one fell from 27 m which is a realistic height for the 1/1 scale container. The second fell flat and the third one fell on an angle. The numerical calculations have been run with the PASTEL code of the CEASEMT system of structural mechanics programs. The main difficulties came from the modeling of the structure where several contact non-linearities existed; mainly, the slipping of the lead protection on the internal vessel and the fact that the internal load was just laid on the bottom of the internal vessel. Three numerical models have been tested, each best suited to calculate a particular effect. A reasonably good agreement has been obtained between calculation and experiment with regard to the duration of the impact and the amplitude of the main deformations ie: overall model shortening, lead sl

[en] This study concerns the safety of the transport of irradiated fuel containers. Crash tests with 1/5 scale models without casing have been performed at CEA-Bordeaux. The salient features of these tests are described: 10m high flat drop, 27 m high flat drop, 27m high tilt drop. The numerical interpretation is discussed: description of the Pastel code, modelisation of the structure. The three drop tests have shown that in all cases the tightness of the models was preserved and no loss of protection occurred for the design of the container. The calculations are in good agreement for what concerns overall deformations and deformation rates except for the buckling of the external vessel

[en] During handling of the container within the reactor containment, its shock absorber casing is removed and it is possible that after an accidental crash a loss of protection or tightness may occur. Three crash tests with 1/5 scale models weighing 800 kg each have been performed at the Centre d'Etudes Scientifique et Techniques d'Aquitaine (CEA, Bordeaux). The models were cylindrical and composed of an internal steel vessel surrounded successively by lead, plaster compound and and external steel vessel. A rigid internal load simulated the fuel. The numerical calculations have been run with the PASTEL code of the CEASEMT system of structural mechanics programs. The main difficulties came from the modeling of the structure where several contact non-linearities existed; mainly, the slipping of the lead protection on the internal vessel and the fact that the internal load was just laid on the bottom of the internal vessel. (Auth.)

[en] Since 1974 CEA and EDF have developed in France a large programme with the aim to work out a means of computation reliable enough for the knowledge of the behaviour of reinforced concrete walls under missile impacts. The shots were performed on reinforced concrete slabs, the thickness of which were chosen to represent in a realistic way the thickness of the wall of a reactor containment. The scales used in this modeling were mainly one-half and one-third. The following parameters were kept constant: the properties of the concrete and the geometric shape of the missile (flat nose). Also studied were the effects of variation of parameters like missile velocity (25-450 m/s), its mass (20-300 kg), ratio of the missile diameter to the thickness of the slab (0.24-2.9) and characteristics of the steel reinforcement. The results of these tests may be summarized in a homogeneous perforation formula in the case of a velocity lower than 200 m/sec: Vsub(c)²=1.7 sigmarhosup(1/3)(sigmae²/M)sup(4/3), where Vsub(c), is the minimum velocity for perforation, phi diameter of the missile, M its mass, sigma the ultimate compressive strength of the concrete, rho its density and e its thickness. (Auth.)

[en] Since 1974 C.E.A. and E.D.F. developed in France a large programme with the aim to work out a means of computation reliable enough for the knowledge of the behavior of reinforced concrete walls under missile impacts. In this paper are described the subsequent tests and the interpretation of the whole programme. The shots were performed on reinforced concrete slabs, thickness of which were chosen to represent in a realistic way the thickness of the wall of a reactor containment. The scales used in this modeling were mainly one half and one third. In any case the similarity law used in this work is such to keep the value of velocity unchanged. In a first step the following parameters were kept constant: thickness and properties of the concrete, reinforcement ratio, geometric shape of the missile. On the other hand were studied the effects of variation of parameters like the missile velocity (90 to 200 m/s), the missile diameter (0.2 to 0.3 m) and its mass (20 to 300 kg). Taking into account this first series of tests formulae for computation of a limit perforation velocity, Vsub(e) and of a minimum protection depth, e, were worked out as functions of the characteristics parameters of projectile and wall. In a second step there was tried to define the limits of validity of these formulae in the case of variation of the following parameters: ratio of the missile diameter to the thickness of the slab (0,24 to 2,9), velocity of the missile (25 m/s to 450 m/s), characteristics of the concrete, characteristics of the steel reinforcement, shape of the projectile