|
Jaroslav Franta:
Thanks for pointing us in the direction of the
Sandia full-scale tests of an F-4 Phantom jet. This paper is important to
our work in analyzing the impact of a jet engine on a nuclear fuel dry storage
cask. We've now evaluated the Sandia paper presented at a symposium,
rather than the abstract.
Sandia states, "The primary purpose of the test was
to determine the impact force versus time due to the impact of a complete F-4
Phantom onto a massive, essentially rigid reinforced concrete target." You
were correct to state that the F-4 Phantom had intact engines. The
penetration depth by the fuselage was 2 cm, as you stated; the penetration depth
of the engines was 6 cm.
However, the massive concrete block, weighing
almost 25 times the weight of the F-4 Phantom, absorbed almost all the
impact. The 469 tonne block was floated on an air cushion and moved 1.83 m
until it hit the backup structure and rebounded.
Our calculations for concrete penetration do not
assume the structure moves. As must be clear to you, one cannot infer from
the Sandia test that a 767 engine moving 500 mph will penetrate 6 cm of
concrete. If the building or storage cask were stationary,
the penetration depth of the 767 jet engine is closer to 4 feet, and
several U.S. reactors have a thinner concrete containment. Our method of
calculating the penetration depth is identical to the method used by NRC staff
and DOE contractors.
Marvin Resnikoff
|