Spacer Grid Welding Fixture With Engagement Bars for Strap Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spacer grid welding fixtures for nuclear reactor cores are difficult to machine, prone to strap misalignment, and require high removal forces, which can damage the grid and lead to tooling wear.
Innovation Solution
A spacer grid welding fixture with a frame and grid engagement bars that secure the straps in precise alignment, allowing for easier assembly and welding of the spacer grid, reducing the need for high removal forces and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If existing spacer grid welding fixtures use pins or fixture plates to hold straps, then the straps can be positioned during welding, but the fixtures are difficult to machine and require high removal forces that damage the grid and cause tooling wear
Solution Approach 1:
The fixture is divided into a frame structure with multiple discrete engagement bars that can be independently positioned and adjusted. Each engagement bar has slots that receive straps, allowing precise positioning without complex machining of the entire fixture. The segmented design enables easy assembly and disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement bars are designed with adjustable positioning capabilities along the frame, allowing the fixture to adapt to different strap configurations. The bars can be moved to optimal positions during setup and repositioned if needed, providing dynamic adjustment rather than fixed static positioning.
2Stability of the object's composition
If existing fixtures insert the entire interlocked strap assembly as a unit, then the straps are held together, but misalignment is difficult to detect and damaged straps require removal of the entire grid
Solution Approach 1:
The fixture allows individual straps or small groups of straps to be positioned independently on the engagement bars, rather than requiring the entire assembly to be inserted as one unit. This segmentation enables visual inspection and adjustment of each strap's position before welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture enables preliminary positioning and alignment of straps before the welding process begins. The engagement bars hold straps in the correct positions, allowing alignment verification and correction to be performed in advance, preventing misaligned or damaged straps from being welded into position.
3Ease of operation
If high removal forces are applied to remove the grid from existing fixtures, then the grid can be extracted, but the grid may be damaged and tooling wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement bars are designed to release straps easily after welding through simple disengagement motions. The slots in the engagement bars allow straps to be removed with minimal force by lifting or sliding them out, eliminating the need for high removal forces that cause damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture design allows individual engagement bars to be easily removed from the frame after welding is complete. This extraction of the engagement bars enables strap removal without applying excessive force to the entire fixture assembly, preventing both grid damage and tooling wear.
Data Source
AI summary
A spacer grid welding fixture comprises a frame sized to receive an assembled spacer grid comprising a first set of parallel straps and a second set of parallel straps oriented orthogonally to the first set of parallel straps, the first and second sets of parallel straps interlocked together by slots cut into the straps. A first set of grid engagement bars is placed on a first side of the spacer grid with each grid engagement bar arranged parallel with the straps of the first set of parallel straps and engaging the straps of the second set of parallel straps. A second set of grid engagement bars is placed on an opposite second side of the spacer grid with each grid engagement bar arranged parallel with the straps of the second set of parallel straps and engaging the straps of the first set of parallel straps.