Method of forming a gripper cavity in a fuel rod end plug

Patent · Mon Dec 02 23:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5587813

Yeo, D; Boatwright, D A

This paper describes a method of forming a gripper cavity in a nuclear fuel rod end plug. It comprises: substantially uniform diameter that opens at an annular outer rim on the end plug blank; cold forming the end plug blank to produce an intermediate end plug in which the annular outer rim is transformed into a conical outer rim having an internal surface rounded with respect to a circumferential center point about the base axis that defines an inlet opening to the internal bore of a diameter less than that of the internal bore; and removing an external layer of material from the intermediate end plug and an internal layer of material from the rounded internal surface of the conical outer rim to produce a finished end plug having an internal gripper cavity composed of the internal bore and a cylindrical internal surface defining the inlet opening to the internal bore and being of smaller diameter than the internal bore.

• Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5069865; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-627275
• OSTI ID: 5587813
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050700 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Fuels Production & Properties
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220300* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Fuel Elements
CAVITIES
DESIGN
ENERGY SOURCES
FABRICATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
FUELS
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS