Novel additive manufacturing-based impact limiter design via parametrically tunable infill geometry for enhanced mechanical performance

Transportation casks for spent nuclear fuel use impact limiters (ILs) on the ends of the casks during transport to absorb impact energy from hypothetical accident conditions per 10 CFR 71.73. However, the energy absorption materials or structures used for ILs (e.g., redwood, machined and welded structures, etc.) are now challenging to procure or expensive to produce and do not use the most recent advances in engineered materials and advanced manufacturing. To address this challenge, we proposed a metal additive manufacturing-based approach with a gyroid infill geometry to fabricate ILs for improved performance and reduced costs. The gyroid infill provides predictable and repeatable crush paths in the structure and can be tuned to meet mechanical performance requirements for energy absorption. This work includes a parametric model-based design approach, computational analysis, and experimental tests for validation. Based on results, the proposed approach provides a viable method to manufacture ILs.