Holding fixture to assist in assembly of support grid for nuclear fuel rods and method for assembling support grid for nuclear fuel rods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10311982-B2
Application number	US-201615045892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 17, 2016
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A holding fixture for assisting in assembly of a support grid for nuclear fuel rods and including a plurality of straps each having a plurality of slots extending approximately half a height of the straps and tabs formed beside or between the slots. The holding fixture includes an actuation plate, a support plate having a plurality of receiving members structured to receive therein straps of the support grid and having a plurality of cells, and a plurality of cam assemblies structured to move to deflect every other tab of the straps received in the plurality of receiving members. The cam assemblies are disposed in every other cell of the support plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A holding fixture for assisting in assembly of a support grid for nuclear fuel rods and including a plurality of straps each having a plurality of slots extending a portion of a height of the straps and tabs formed beside or between the slots, the holding fixture comprising:
an actuation plate;
a support plate having a plurality of receiving members structured to receive therein straps of the support grid and having a plurality of cells; and
a plurality of cam assemblies structured to move to deflect every other tab of the straps received in the plurality of receiving members,
wherein the cam assemblies are disposed in every other cell of the support plate, and
wherein when the cam assemblies deflect every other tab of the straps, the slots form V-shapes.

2. The holding fixture of claim 1 , wherein the receiving members are notches formed in the support plate.

3. The holding fixture of claim 1 , wherein the receiving members are stand- offs extending from a surface of the support plate.

4. The holding fixture of claim 1 , wherein the cam assemblies are structured to move to deflect every other tab of the straps based on movement of the actuation plate with respect to the support plate.

5. A holding fixture for assisting in assembly of a support grid for nuclear fuel rods and including a plurality of straps each having a plurality of slots extending a portion of a height of the straps and tabs formed beside or between the slots, the holding fixture comprising:
an actuation plate;
a support plate having a plurality of receiving members structured to receive therein straps of the support grid and having a plurality of cells; and
a plurality of cam assemblies structured to move to deflect every other tab of the straps received in the plurality of receiving members,
wherein the cam assemblies are disposed in every other cell of the support plate,
wherein the cam assemblies are structured to move to deflect every other tab of the straps based on movement of the actuation plate with respect to the support plate, and wherein the cam assemblies each include:
a plurality of cam rods attached to the actuation plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular away from the actuation plate; and
a plurality of lever members attached to the support plate and being structured to move to deflect or stop deflecting tabs of straps received in the plurality of receiving members,
wherein the support plate includes a plurality of openings each structured to allow one of the plurality of cam rods to pass therethrough, and
wherein the lever members are structured to move to deflect or stop deflecting tabs of straps received in the plurality of receiving members based on movement of the actuation plate with respect to the support plate.

6. The holding fixture of claim 5 , wherein the lever members are structured to move to deflect or stop deflecting tabs of straps received in the plurality of receiving members based on movement of the actuation plate toward or away from the support plate.

7. The holding fixture of claim 1 , wherein the actuation plate includes a first actuation plate and a second actuation plate, wherein the first actuation plate and the second actuation plate are structured to move with respect to each other, and wherein the cam assemblies are structured to move to deflect every other tab of the straps based on movement of the first actuation plate with respect to the second actuation plate.

8. The holding fixture of claim 7 , wherein the cam assemblies include:
a plurality of first cam rods attached to the first actuation plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular away from the first actuation plate; and
a plurality of second cam rods attached to the second actuation plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular away from the second actuation plate,
wherein the support plate includes a plurality of openings each structured to allow one pair of the first and second cam rods to pass therethrough, and
wherein the first and second cam rods are structured to move toward or away from each other based on movement of the first actuation plate with respect to the second actuation plate.

9. The holding fixture of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second cam rods includes a protrusion formed thereon and structured to abut against and deflect tabs of the straps when the first and second cam rods move away from each other.

10. A holding fixture pair for assisting in assembly of a support grid for nuclear fuel rods and including a plurality of upper straps and a plurality of lower straps each having a plurality of slots extending approximately half a height of the upper or lower straps and tabs formed beside or between the slots, the holding fixture pair comprising:
an upper holding fixture comprising:
an upper actuation plate;
an upper support plate having a plurality of stand-offs structured to receive therein upper straps of the support grid and having a plurality of upper cells; and
a plurality of upper cam assemblies structured to move to deflect every other tab of the upper straps received in the plurality of stand-offs,
wherein the upper cam assemblies are disposed in every other upper cell of the upper support plate, and

a lower holding fixture comprising:
a lower actuation plate;
a lower support plate having a plurality of notches structured to receive therein lower straps of the support grid and having a plurality of lower cells; and
a plurality of lower cam assemblies structured to move to deflect every other tab of the lower straps received in the plurality of notches,
wherein the lower cam assemblies are disposed in every other lower cell of the lower support plate.

11. The holding fixture pair of claim 10 , wherein the upper cam assemblies are structured to deflect tabs of the upper straps in opposite directions of the directions the lower cam assemblies are structured to deflect tabs of the lower straps.

12. The holding fixture pair of claim 10 , wherein when the upper holding fixture and the lower holding fixture face each other, the upper cam assemblies face empty lower cells of the lower holding fixture and the lower cam assemblies face empty upper cells of the upper holding fixture.

13. The holding fixture pair of claim 10 , wherein slots are formed between tabs of the upper and lower straps, and wherein when the upper and lower cam assemblies deflect every other tab of the upper and lower straps, the slots form V-shapes.

14. The holding fixture pair of claim 10 , wherein the upper cam assemblies are structured to move to deflect every other tab of the upper straps based on movement of the upper actuation plate with respect to the upper support plate and the lower cam assemblies are structured to move to deflect every other tab of the lower straps based on movement of the lower actuation plate with respect to the lower support plate.

15. The holding fixture pair of claim 14 , wherein the upper and lower cam assemblies each include:
a plurality of cam rods attached to the upper or lower actuation plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular away from the upper or lower actuation plate; and
a plurality of lever members attached to the upper or lower support plate and being structured to move to deflect or stop deflecting tabs of the upper or lower straps,
wherein the upper and lower support plates include a plurality of openings each structured to allow one of the plurality of upper or lower cam rods to pass therethrough, and
wherein the lever members are structured to move to deflect or

Assignees

• Westinghouse Electric Co Llc

Inventors

• Petrosky Lyman J

Classifications

• G21C3/3424

  Fabrication of spacer grids · CPC title

• G21C3/331

  Comprising hold-down means, e.g. springs · CPC title

• G21C3/332 Primary

  Supports for spacer grids · CPC title

• G21C3/356

  being provided with fuel element supporting members · CPC title

• B23Q3/00

  Devices holding, supporting, or positioning work or tools, of a kind normally removable from the machine (work-tables or other parts, e.g. faceplates, normally not incorporating means for securing work B23Q1/00; automatic position control B23Q15/00 {; food cutting boards A47J47/00; workpiece support for dies B21D37/02}; rotary tool heads for turning-machines B23B3/24, B23B3/26; non-driven tool holders B23B29/00; general features of turrets B23B29/24 {; drawbars in spindles B23B31/261; for electrical discharge machining B23H11/003; for welding B23K37/04; means for securing grinding wheels B24B45/00; mountings for abrasive wheels B24D5/16}; tools or bench devices for fastening, connecting, disengaging or holding B25B {; chucks for percussive tools B25D17/084; work benches for manual work B25H1/00; devices for securing circular saw blades B27B5/32; for assembling or manufacturing aircrafts B64F5/10; devices for holding circuit boards H05K13/0061; for holding semiconductors or wafers H10P72/00}) · CPC title