Automated forming apparatus

• Main Authors: SUTHERLAND, CHARLES WILLIAM, KING, HAROLD BLECKLEY, JR, MUNCY, DONALD GENE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 13.06.1990
• Subjects: GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVINGMATERIAL; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR REACTORS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PUNCHING METAL; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS ORPROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL

To form longitudinally spaced pairs of angularly spaced stops in the walls of fuel rod-positioning ferrules utilized in nuclear fuel bundle spacers, the ferrules, cut from tubular stock, are longitudinally oriented in a first station (70) and angularly oriented in a second station (74) using a reference notch cut in one ferrule edge. Successive ferrules are picked (78) from the second station and placed in a die (79) of a punch press (80). Ferrule exterior surface back-up is provided by the die upon closure, and interior surface back-up is provided by a mandrel (110, Fig. 7) inserted in the ferrule bore as the punches converge into stop-forming engagement with the ferrule wall. Formed ferrule discharge (to 82) is induced by placement of the next ferrule in the die.