Material Release Following Shaped-Charge Impact

The exhibit shows a steel element that formed part of the front wall of an experimental chamber used in an extensive series of shaped-charge tests.

Assessing sabotage scenarios requires an understanding not only of whether protective barriers can be penetrated, but also of the potential consequences if nuclear and other radioactive material is affected. Damage, fragmentation and dispersion processes following an impact determine whether and to what extent radioactive material could potentially be released.

In a GRS research programme documented in 2012, an extensive experimental programme investigated shaped-charge impacts on brittle materials representative of cask contents. Different target materials were placed inside a dedicated experimental chamber to study penetration, material fragmentation and potential release processes following the impact.

The results provided an important experimental basis for assessing potential release mechanisms and supporting the development and validation of methods for evaluating the consequences of malicious acts involving nuclear and other radioactive material. The work contributed to the scientific and technical support of national nuclear security measures and international efforts under the IAEA Nuclear Security framework and was funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment.

For decades, GRS has investigated the potential effects of malicious acts and sabotage involving explosives and shaped charges as part of its nuclear security research. The three exhibits illustrate complementary aspects of this work – explosive impact, shaped-charge interaction, and the resulting damage and potential release of material.

GRS continues to advance its research on explosive and shaped-charge impacts in nuclear security. Current and recent work combines experimental data with numerical modelling to better understand penetration, material fragmentation, release and subsequent dispersion, and to further develop and validate methods for assessing complex sabotage scenarios. Recent GRS research reports include:

(GRS-732) Experimental investigations of a discontinuous free jet resulting from the impact of a shaped charge during the transport of nuclear material | GRS gGmbH