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. 29, 1989
Filed:
Feb. 24, 1988
Gerald M Gordon, Soquel, CA (US);
General Electric Company, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
In a control rod for a nuclear reactor having a cruciform shape with four flat planar members, an improved membrane for safeguarding against crevice cracking corrosion is disclosed. Each of the four flat planar members of the control rod is fabricated from side-by-side tubular members containing sealed neutron absorbing poisons. Each of the tubular members has square outside sections. These square outside sections are welded together to form the flat planar members of the control rod. The improvement includes a protective membrane wrapped over the structural flat planar member. The protective membrane surrounds the member and is maintained to the planar member under compression by ambient reactor pressure. The membrane provides an additional margin against crevice corrosion cracking by preventing the water of the reactor from coming into contact with the welded side-by-side square sectioned tubular members. Because the membrane is not under tension, it is not subject to either irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking nor conventional stress corrosion cracking.