Numerical strategy for dynamic simulation of impacts on SFR fuel pins and experimental validation

Abstract : Fuel pins are the first containment barriers of a sodium fast reactor, and their integrities have to be preserved during a dynamical load. Pins are included in an assembly with mounting gaps, to allow them to swell during the life cycle of the reactor; so they are subjected to shock and contact at the early ages. A numerical method has been chosen with the aim to determine the dynamical behavior of a large system with a lot of contacts. The validity of the method is confronted for a basic issue to semi-analytical solution. Then, dynamical behavior of an isolated pin has been studied experimentally and numerically, with a non-linear representative contact law. Numerical method is appropriate to assess contact forces caused for pins.