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:
Oct. 13, 1987
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1985
John M Shallenberger, Fox Chapel, PA (US);
Stephen J Ferlan, Wilkins Township, Allegheny County, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
A fuel assembly skeleton includes a top nozzle, a number of longitudinally-extending guide thimbles having upper ends, a number of joints interconnecting the top nozzle and the upper ends of the guide thimbles. All but a few of the joints are structural joints providing rigid connections between all but a corresponding few of the guide thimble upper ends and the top nozzle. Each of the other few joints is a non-structural joint providing a non-rigid connection between a guide thimble upper end and the top nozzle. The number of structural joints constitutes at least a substantial majority of the joints and, in any event, the number is at least three times the number of non-structural joints. Each non-structural joint is composed of a hollow sleeve rigidly connected to the top nozzle and disposed in a slip fit relationship about the guide thimble upper end. The sleeve is bulge fitted in a passageway defined in the top nozzle.