Method of bonding

Patent · 01 December 1987

OSTI ID:866435

Hodge, Edwin S ^[1]; Paprocki, Stanley J ^[1]; Dayton, Russell W ^[1]

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1. Columbus, OH

1. A method of making a fuel-containing structure for nuclear reactors, comprising providing an assembly comprising a plurality of fuel units; each fuel unit consisting of a core plate containing thermal-neutron-fissionable material, sheets of cladding metal on its bottom and top surfaces, said cladding sheets being of greater width and length than said core plates whereby recesses are formed at the ends and sides of said core plate, and end pieces and first side pieces of cladding metal of the same thickness as the core plate positioned in said recesses, the assembly further comprising a plurality of second side pieces of cladding metal engaging the cladding sheets so as to space the fuel units from one another, and a plurality of filler plates of an acid-dissolvable nonresilient material whose melting point is above 2000.degree. F., each filler plate being arranged between a pair of said second side pieces and the cladding plates of two adjacent fuel units, the filler plates having the same thickness as the second side pieces; the method further comprising enclosing the entire assembly in an envelope; evacuating the interior of the entire assembly through said envelope; applying inert gas under a pressure of about 10,000 psi to the outside of said envelope while at the same time heating the assembly to a temperature above the flow point of the cladding metal but below the melting point of any material of the assembly, whereby the envelope is pressed against the assembly and integral bonds are formed between plates, sheets, first side pieces, and end pieces and between the sheets and the second side pieces; slowly cooling the assembly to room temperature; removing the envelope; and dissolving the filler plates without attacking the cladding metal.

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Institute
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-92
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4709848
• OSTI ID: 866435
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/228/376/976/
000
10
2000
acid-dissolvable
adding metal
adjacent
adjacent fuel
applying
arranged
assembly
assembly comprising
attacking
below
bonding
bonds
bottom
cladding
cladding plates
comprising
comprising providing
consisting
containing
cooling
core
degree
dissolving
enclosing
engaging
entire
entire assembly
envelope
evacuating
filler
fissionable material
flow
formed
fuel
fuel unit
fuel-containing
gas
heating
inert
inert gas
integral
interior
length
material
melting
metal
method
nonresilient
nuclear
nuclear reactor
nuclear reactors
outside
pair
pieces
plate
plate containing
plate positioned
plates
plurality
positioned
pressed
pressure
providing
psi
reactors
recesses
removing
resilient material
sheets
slowly
space
structure
surfaces
temperature
thermal-neutron-fissionable
thermal-neutron-fissionable material
thickness
time
time heat
top
top surface
unit
unit consisting
units
whereby
width