Computed and measured responses of a thick-walled hollow cylinder of salt subjected to both homogeneous and inhomogeneous loading

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6208551

Morgan, H S; Wawersik, W R

Closures and closure rates measured around excavations in the bedded salt formations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) were at least three times larger than initial predictions made with a references creep model for rock salt. Subsequent investigations uncovered a number of potential sources of error including questions about the constitutive behavior of salt in situ. In addition, controlled laboratory experiments on thick-walled hollow cylinders of salt, subjected to various combinations of axial load, internal pressure, external pressure, and temperature, were suggested as one expedient and cost-effective means of narrowing the existing uncertainties. Two recent tests on thick-walled cylinders of rock salt are discussed in this paper to explore the merits of this type of experiment and to address four concerns: (1) differences between behavior of salt core in the laboratory and behavior of salt masses in situ due to, e.g., hardening and damaging during sample extraction, (2) generalization of triaxial measurements to three dimensions requiring choices of stress measures and flow rules, (3) effects of inhomogeneous stress states with gradients as opposed to homogeneous stress fields, and (4) effects of pressure and moisture. 12 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6208551
• Report Number(s): SAND-88-2744C; CONF-890628-7; ON: DE89006724
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BOREHOLES
CAVITIES
CLOSURES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CREEP
DATA
EVALUATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLOW RATE
FORECASTING
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUMERICAL DATA
PILOT PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SALT DEPOSITS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WIPP