Radioactive Material Container with Recessed Lateral Grip Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging for radioactive materials is oversized due to radial clearance requirements, leading to increased mass, cost, and size, which complicates handling and provides inadequate armor leakage protection.
Innovation Solution
The packaging incorporates a lateral body with a thickness change zone, allowing for a recessed area that enables lateral access and grip without increasing the package width, and includes a reconstitution part that can form a 360° closed structure for enhanced shielding and mechanical resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a radial clearance is provided between the assembly and the inner surface of the lateral body to enable lateral gripping, then the handling device can be introduced axially to grip the assembly, but the packaging becomes oversized with increased mass, cost, and size
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral body incorporates a localized recessed area with reduced thickness that provides lateral access for handling devices. This local modification creates the necessary clearance zone only where gripping is needed, rather than providing radial clearance throughout the entire packaging structure, thereby enabling lateral gripping while minimizing the increase in overall packaging dimensions and mass.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed area in the lateral body creates a three-dimensional access pathway that allows handling devices to approach the assembly from the lateral direction. By modifying the lateral body geometry to include this recess, the packaging enables lateral gripping operations without requiring increased radial clearance in all directions, thus solving the contradiction between ease of operation and packaging compactness.
2Ease of operation
If a radial clearance is provided to enable lateral gripping, then the handling device can access the assembly, but the overall size and cost of the packaging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral body is designed with a localized recessed area that provides lateral access precisely where needed for handling operations. This local geometric modification creates the necessary space for handling devices without increasing the overall width or external dimensions of the packaging, thereby maintaining compact size while enabling lateral gripping capability.
3Ease of operation
If the lateral body has reduced thickness to provide access, then lateral gripping is enabled, but armor leakage protection may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral body features a localized recessed area with reduced thickness that provides lateral access for handling devices. This local thinning is confined to a specific zone and does not compromise the overall shielding integrity of the packaging, as the reduced thickness is limited to the access area and does not affect the main protective structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed area is essentially an extracted or removed portion of the lateral body material in a localized zone. By taking out this specific portion, lateral access is created for handling operations while the remaining majority of the lateral body maintains its full thickness and protective function, thus enabling access without compromising overall armor leakage protection.
4Ease of operation
If the cover is placed outside the lateral body for easy access, then handling is simplified, but mechanical resistance against lateral or oblique falls is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is nested within the recessed area of the lateral body, positioned inside the packaging structure rather than externally mounted. This nesting arrangement allows the cover to be accessible while being protected by the lateral body's structure, thereby maintaining mechanical resistance against lateral or oblique falls while preserving ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns a packaging for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, the lateral body (10) of which has a thickness change zone (14) defining a transition surface (16), and comprising a portion (20a) of reduced thickness extending from the transition surface (16) towards a first axial end (10a) of the lateral body, this portion (20a) of reduced thickness comprising an inner surface (24) laterally delimiting a recessed zone (26) of the lateral body, also delimited axially by the transition surface (16). Moreover, the packaging comprises a portion (30) reconstituting the lateral body extending around the longitudinal axis (2), arranged removably in the recessed zone (26), and having an inner surface (34) that laterally delimits a portion of the housing cavity (12) intended to receive the mass of radioactive materials (13).