Interaction between rock, bentonite buffer and canister. FEM calculations of some mechanical effects on the canister in different disposal concepts

An important task of the buffer of highly compacted bentonite is to offer a mechanical protection to the canister. This role has been investigated by a number of finite element calculations using the complex elasto plastic material models for the bentonite that have been developed on the basis of laboratory tests and adapted to the code ABAQUS. The following main functions and scenarios have been investigated for some different canister types and repository concepts: - The effect of the water and swelling pressure, - The effect of a rock shear perpendicular to the canister axis, - The effect of creep in the copper after a rock shear displacement, - The thermomechanical effects when an initially saturated buffer is used