A Technique for Dynamic Analyses of Containers With Locking-Ring Closures
The explicit method of the finite-element analysis is capable of analyzing the dynamic responses of a complex structure with complicated contact conditions. The method has been widely used in evaluating the dynamic responses of shipping package for radioactive materials. However, the previous analyses focused on the stresses and deformations of the structure components subjected impact loads and the possibility of the locking-ring closure separating from the drum body is not accounted for. The major difficulty for applying the explicit method to a container with a locking-ring closure is that the phenomenon of pre-loading a locking-ring closure is a static process; whereas, the explicit method involves the propagation of stress waves in the structure and thus is only applicable to dynamic analyses. The purpose of the present paper is to propose a technique that extends the application of the explicit finite-element method to the dynamic analysis of the container pre-loaded by a lock-ring. Unlike the conventional dynamic analysis by the explicit method that only needs one load step, the proposed technique requires three sequential procedure steps (not load steps) to complete an entire analysis. Furthermore, one procedure step may consist of two load steps. The paper discusses the procedures of the proposed technique in details. The application of the technique is illustrated by an example problem. The adequacy of the technique is also verified.