The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 02, 1977
Filed:
Jun. 26, 1975
Elmar Harand, Hochstadt, DT;
Eberhard Michel, Nurnberg, DT;
Kraftwerk Union Aktiengesellschaft, Mulheim (Ruhr), DT;
Abstract
A nuclear reactor pressure vessel is vertically positioned in a concrete reactor pit. The vessel thermally expands and contracts axially and radially. To reduce the possibility of a wall rupture caused by the radial expansion, the top and bottom of the vessel are restrained from movement by the axial expansion, thus placing the vessel's wall under compressive stress in the axial direction. At the top this is done in any prior art manner. At the bottom, the restraint is provided by a series of vertical leaf springs circumferentially interspaced around the vessel's bottom, the lower ends of the springs being fixed to the vessel and the springs extending upwardly therefrom to upper support arrangements. Thus, the bottom of the vessel is suspended by the springs working in tension, while the radial expansion and contraction movements are accommodated by flexure of the springs.