Grid sleeve bulge tool

摘要

An improved grid sleeve bulge tool designed for securing control rod guide tubes to sleeves brazed in a fuel assembly grid. The tool includes a cylinder having an outer diameter less than the internal diameter of the control rod guide tubes. The walls of the cylinder are cut in an axial direction along its length to provide several flexible tines or ligaments. The end of each alternate tine is equipped with a semispherical projection which extends radially outwardly from the tine surface. A ram or plunger of generally cylindrical configuration and about the same length as the cylinder is designed to fit in and move axially of the cylinder and thereby force the tined projections outwardly when the ram is pulled into the cylinder. As the projections thereon outwardly into contact with the sleeve, they plastically deform both the sleeve and the control rod guide tube simultaneously to thereby form four bulges which extend outwardly from the sleeve surface and beyond the outer periphery of the grid peripheral strap.