Shaped-Charge Interaction with Protective Structures

The exhibit shows two aluminium plates penetrated by a shaped-charge jet and a deformed remnant of the jet that was captured after penetration.

Understanding how potential means of sabotage interact with protective barriers is an important element of nuclear security assessments. Shaped charges are of particular interest because their focused jets can generate very high penetration capabilities in metallic structures.

Within a comprehensive series of GRS experiments conducted during the 2000s and early 2010s, the interaction of shaped-charge jets with different materials and structural configurations was investigated. The experiments provided data on penetration processes, material response and the behaviour of shaped-charge jets after passing through protective barriers. This knowledge forms an important basis for evaluating whether and how an impact could affect material inside a cask and potentially contribute to subsequent release processes.

Such experimental knowledge supports the evaluation of protective measures within national nuclear security systems and contributes to international knowledge exchange under the IAEA Nuclear Security framework. The work 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