Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Disassembling
Patent
1985-04-04
1987-03-03
Goldberg, Howard N.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Disassembling
29400N, 29723, B23P 1900, B23P 1700
Patent
active
046464158
ABSTRACT:
A device for unfastening and lifting a top nozzle subassembly from the guide thimbles of a reconstitutable fuel assembly includes hollow gripper tubes having open lower ends, spaced yokes mounting the gripper tubes, pull rods disposed in the gripper tubes, end plugs attached to lower ends of the pull rods and disposed at the open lower ends of the gripper tubes, stop plugs stationarily disposed in the gripper tubes spaced above their open lower ends, elastomer blocks disposed in the gripper tubes between the end and stop plugs, and inner tubes disposed within the gripper tubes about the elastomer blocks. Lower end portions of the gripper tubes are capable of insertion into sleeves of the top nozzle subassembly to positions therein located adjacent to threaded lower ends of the sleeves. The pull rods are disposed within the gripper tubes for axial movement upwardly and downwardly within the tubes, with the end plugs being extendible into and from the gripper tube open lower ends upon such movement of the pull rods. In such arrangement, movement of each pull rod upwardly displaces the end plug thereon toward the stop plug and causes diametric expansion of the block which, in turn, causes diametric expansion of the gripper tube into engagement with the sleeve adjacent to the threaded lower end thereof, whereas movement of the pull rod downwardly displaces the end plug thereon away from the stop plug and allows diametric contraction of the block which, in turn, allows diametric contraction of the gripper tube out of engagement with the sleeve. Each gripper tube lower end portion contains spaced axial slots for facilitating diametric expansion of the gripper tube which enables subsequent unthreading of the sleeve from the guide thimble. Also, the inner tube about the elastomer block is axially slotted and oriented such that its slots are circumferentially displaced from those of the gripper tube so as to prevent the elastomer block from extruding outwardly through the slots of the gripper tube when the block is diametrically expanded.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2641831 (1953-06-01), Helton
patent: 2767677 (1956-10-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 3228678 (1966-01-01), Koger
Gjertsen Robert K.
Wilson John F.
Goldberg Howard N.
Nichols Steven
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
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