摘要 |
<p>Horizontal fuel element bundle shears have a stepped blade and a horizontal magazine for accommodating an undismantled uclear reactor fuel element which is to be cut up. In the fuel element bundle shears, the nuclear reactor fuel element, for the cutting operation to be performed, is pushed with a stepwise movement through a magazine opening in front of which the stepped blade is displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fuel element. Each portion of the stepped blade has a cutting edge. In order to achieve a lower rate of wear of the stepped blade while at the same time obtaining a good cut and a low cutting force, the stepped blade has two cutting edges which are separated from each other by a step, thereby forming two blade portions which are in superposed relationship with each other. The lower blade portion is set back with its cutting edge relative to the cutting edge of the upper blade portion by a step distance which corresponds at least to the width of the precompacted fuel element bundle. The upper cutting edge is higher or longer than the lower cutting edge. Because of this configuration, the two blade portions, which are separated by a step, do not come into engagement with the bundle simultaneously but instead engage the bundle sequentially.</p> |