Radioactive Package Support Frame with Fusible Elements

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing assemblies for transporting radioactive materials face safety challenges when falling, as the package can be damaged by the frame, leading to oversized designs that compromise operational constraints.

Innovation Solution

A package support frame with mechanical fusible elements that rupture upon impact, allowing the package to move relative to the frame, reducing damage risks and enabling safety demonstrations without the frame.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the package is made very large to resist forces transmitted by the frame during a fall, then the safety of the package is improved, but the package becomes oversized and incompatible with operational constraints

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepackage safetyVSAvoidpackage size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The frame is divided into two distinct portions: a first portion that remains attached to the transport vehicle and a second portion that is rigidly attached to the package. These portions are connected by mechanical fusible elements that can rupture during a fall, allowing the portions to separate. This segmentation enables the package to be protected from frame-transmitted impact forces without requiring the package itself to be oversized.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The potentially harmful first portion of the frame is effectively 'taken out' from the package structure during a fall event. The mechanical fusible elements are designed to rupture, separating the first portion from the second portion, thereby removing the source of harmful forces that would otherwise be transmitted to the package. This extraction allows the package to maintain its safety without needing increased size.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If the package is made very large to resist forces transmitted by the frame during a fall, then the safety of the package is improved, but the ease of operation is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepackage safetyVSAvoidoperational constraints

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The frame is divided into two distinct portions: a first portion that remains attached to the transport vehicle and a second portion that is rigidly attached to the package. These portions are connected by mechanical fusible elements that can rupture during a fall, allowing the portions to separate. This segmentation enables the package to be protected from frame-transmitted impact forces without requiring the package itself to be oversized.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The connection between the first and second portions of the frame transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic separable connection. The mechanical fusible elements are designed to rupture under specific impact conditions, allowing the frame to dynamically adapt to fall events by separating the portions. This dynamic behavior protects the package without requiring it to be oversized, thereby maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If mechanical fusible elements are used to connect frame portions, then the package safety is improved by reducing damage risks, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepackage safetyVSAvoidframe structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The frame is divided into two distinct portions: a first portion that remains attached to the transport vehicle and a second portion that is rigidly attached to the package. These portions are connected by mechanical fusible elements that can rupture during a fall, allowing the portions to separate. This segmentation enables the package to be protected from frame-transmitted impact forces without requiring the package itself to be oversized.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical fusible elements are designed with specific rupture parameters (strength, rupture force, rupture direction) that are carefully selected to ensure they rupture under fall conditions but maintain the frame structure during normal operation. By controlling these parameters, the solution achieves package protection through a relatively simple structural modification rather than complex active control systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10121560B2Assembly including a package for transport of radioactive materials and a package support frame

Publication Date: 2018.11.06 TN INT (FR)

AI summary

An assembly (100) including a package for transport of radioactive materials (1) and a package support frame (3), wherein the frame includes: a first portion (14); a second portion (16) which is rigidly attached to the package, wherein the package and this second portion form an entity (18), wherein the first portion and the second portion of the frame (14, 16) are connected to one another by one or more mechanical fusible elements (30) to hold one relative to the other in a first direction of superposition (12) of the package on its frame. The assembly is also configured so that if the assembly falls in the direction (12) with the first portion (14) of the frame pointing forwards, this causes a rupture of the fusible elements (30) allowing a movement of the entity (18) relative to the first portion (14) in direction (12).