Lateral restraint assembly for reactor core

Patent · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:865893

Gorholt, Wilhelm ^[1]; Luci, Raymond K ^[2]

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1. San Diego, CA
2. Del Mar, CA

A restraint assembly for use in restraining lateral movement of a reactor core relative to a reactor vessel wherein a plurality of restraint assemblies are interposed between the reactor core and the reactor vessel in circumferentially spaced relation about the core. Each lateral restraint assembly includes a face plate urged against the outer periphery of the core by a plurality of compression springs which enable radial preloading of outer reflector blocks about the core and resist low-level lateral motion of the core. A fixed radial key member cooperates with each face plate in a manner enabling vertical movement of the face plate relative to the key member but restraining movement of the face plate transverse to the key member in a plane transverse to the center axis of the core. In this manner, the key members which have their axes transverse to or subtending acute angles with the direction of a high energy force tending to move the core laterally relative to the reactor vessel restrain such lateral movement.

• Research Organization: GA TECHNOLOGIES INC
• DOE Contract Number: AT03-76SF70046
• Assignee: GA Technologies Inc. (San Diego, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 4596689
• OSTI ID: 865893
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/376/976/
acute
acute angle
acute angles
angles
assemblies
assembly
axes
axis
blocks
center
center axis
circumferentially
circumferentially spaced
compression
compression spring
cooperates
core
direction
enable
enabling
energy
fixed
force
interposed
key
lateral
lateral motion
lateral movement
lateral restraint
laterally
low-level
manner
motion
move
movement
outer
outer periphery
periphery
plane
plate
plurality
preloading
radial
reactor
reactor core
reactor vessel
reflector
reflector blocks
relation
relative
resist
restrain
restraining
restraining lateral
restraint
restraint assembly
spaced
spaced relation
springs
subtending
tending
transverse
urged
vertical
vertical movement
vessel