Toughness characterization of large thickness components subjected to drop loads

Transportation or storage packages that contain radioactive material may be subjected to drop loading in case of error during handling for example. In order to design these components against brittle fracture, it is necessary to characterize the crack sensitivity of the material used to fabricate them. This aspect is of large importance in the case of ductile cast iron. An experimental/theoretical program has been launched in CEA within an IPSN (L'Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire) program in order to define a criterion and the corresponding material characteristic to analyze crack behavior in packages of large thickness (> 200 mm) subjected to drop tests conditions. (author)