Guardrail impact simulation for remote guided vehicles (RGV's) used in nuclear generating stations

During nuclear station refurbishment, transportation of tools, equipment, and irradiated reactor components is achieved using remote guided vehicles (RGV’s) in order to keep worker radiation doses as low as reasonably achievable. A removable guardrail system capable of withstanding RGV impact was developed to eliminate the risk of accidents taking place in the reactor vault. The guardrails are mounted to platform edges using two bolts and two shear pins. In anticipation of frequent removal of reinstallation of guardrails by workers, this study proposes that guardrails be installed without bolting, relying solely on the guardrails’ shear pins to provide the required restraint. A parametric impact simulation was carried out in order to evaluate the perform of the guardrails when installed without bolting. The analysis work was carried out using LS-DYNA, an advanced simulation software package capable of simulating real world problems using explicit time integration.