Transport cask for radioactive material

Claim 2

A cask assembly for the transport of radioactive materials while supported on a vehicle bed free of restraining attachment to the vehicle, comprising: a rigid cylindrical cask having walls containing radioactive shielding material, said cask being formed of an integral body open at one axial end and a complimentary lid removably fixed thereto; sealing means operatively interposed between the lid and body of said cask; a rigid circular cylindrical cask overpack, comprising: a double-walled cylindrical vessel totally enclosing said cask including inner walls complimentary to said cask, outer walls spaced from the inner walls, and honeycomb material interposed between the inner and outer walls thereof having cell orientations substantially perpendicular to the respective directions of maximum impact exposure of the walls and cornerS of the vessel; said vessel including a removable lid assembly at one axial end thereof for permitting entry and removal of the cask.

Claim 3

A cask assembly as set out in claim 1 wherein said vessel comprises cylindrical inner and outer shells including radially spaced cylindrical walls aligned along a central axis and a pair of axially spaced end walls perpendicular to said axis and extending across said respective ends of said cylindrical walls; a cylindrical wrap of honeycomb material interposed between the cylindrical walls of said inner and outer shells with the cells thereof oriented radially with respect to the axis of the walls; sheets of honeycomb material interposed between the axially spaced end walls of said inner and outer shells with the cells thereof oriented perpendicular to said end walls; and annular rings of honeycomb material located between the corners of the inner and outer shells at the respective ends thereof, said annular rings each having the cells thereof aligned substantially parallel to the sides of a cone having the designed center of gravity of the loaded cask assembly as its apex and the respective outer shell end wall as its base.

Claim 4

A cask assembly as set out in claim 1 wherein the double-walled vessel comprises cylindrical inner and outer shells including radially spaced cylindrical walls aligned along a central axis and axially spaced end walls perpendicular to said axis and extending across the respective ends of said cylindrical walls: a sheet of honeycomb material interposed between the spaced end walls of the inner and outer shells at each of the respective ends of the vessel, each sheet being in the form of a truncated cone aligned along said central axis and having one circular end thereof corresponding in diameter to the inner end wall abutted thereby, the remaining circular end being of small diameter and abutting the outer end wall; a cylindrical wrap of honeycomb material interposed between the cylindrical walls of the inner and outer shells of the vessel and abutting said cylindrical walls in an area extending along the length of the cylindrical walls of the inner vessel, the end surfaces of said cylindrical wrap being formed as continuations of the conical sides of the sheets honeycomb material at the respective vessel ends; and annular rings of honeycomb material filling the remaining space between said inner and outer vessels at the corners thereof.

Claim 5

The cask assembly as set out in claim 3 wherein the cells of said annular rings are aligned substantially parallel to the sides of a cone having the designed center of gravity of the loaded cask assembly as its apex and the respective outer shell end wall as its base.

Claim 6

The cask apparatus as set out in claim 4 wherein the conical surfaces presented along the sides of the sheets of honeycomb material at the vessel ends and along the end surfaces of the cylindrical wrap of honeycomb material are perpendicular to the alignment of the cells of honeycomb material forming said annular rings.