APPARATUS FOR APPLYING AND END PLUG TO AN END OF A NUCLEAR FUEL ROD TUBE

Abstract: The apparatus includes a plugger guide (76) having thgerethrough a longitudinal bore (78) with one end for receiving an end plug (26), with an opposite end (82) for receiving the tube end (40) to be plugged, and with a cross-sectional dimension enabling the plugger guide and a tube end portion including said end (40) to be telescopically moved over and into, respectively, one another for applying the end plug to the tube end, the plugger guide (76) being adapted to maintain the tube end accurately aligned with the end plug during such telescoping movement. The apparatus includes further a carriage (50) supporting the plugger guide (76), a plunger assembly including a plunger (98), and drive means (88) for operating the plunger assembly and the carriage in a manner causing one end plug at a time to be transferred from a magazine (86) into the plug receiving end (80) of the plugger guide bore (78) and to be applied to the end (40) of the fuel rod tube.

Description: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING AN END PLUG TO AN END OF A FUEL ROD TUBE The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of nuclear fuel rods and, more particularly, to an apparatus for applying an end plug to an end of a fuel rod tube. Fuel rods for nuclear reactors commonly are thin walled tubes containing fissile material, usually in the form of cylindrical pellets of enriched uranium dioxide, which must be isolated from the environment surrounding the tubes when in use to prevent chemical reactions between the fuel and other materials, such as water in a pressurized water reactor. Thus, the cladding or thin walled tube containing the nuclear fuel ordinarily is hermetically sealed by means of end plugs. It is critical that the end plugs themselves be impermeable and mechanically strong, and that the mechanical connection between each end plug and the thin walled tube Fbe free of defects, such as discontinuities, cracks and tube distortions, which could eventually cause leaks. The act of plugging a fuel rod tube is a critical operation since a heavy press fit must be used to contain the force of a plenum spring, such as usually employed in fuel rods, as the end plug is being fitted to the tube. Press fitting an end plug into a fuel rod tube conventionally involves guiding the plug from a position at the bottom of a stack of identical plugs within a storage and supply magazine into a guide bushing, and then forcing the nto tne adJacent tube end while at the compressing the plenum spring in the tube, which requires a pressing force of as much as 500 kg. Present methods of applying end plugs use closely fitting guide bushings to align the plugs with the tube, but the guide bushings ordinarily utilized must be somewhat larger than the maximum expected diametric size of the end plug in order to allow for manufacturing tolerances. Due to the necessary clearance between the plug and guide, end plugs sometimes cock, or tip, and such cocking results in a non-square press fit which can cause shearing at the tube/plug interface due to a shaving action occurring on the plug exterior as the plug is rammed home. Thereafter, when the connection is completed by welding the plug to the tube, the resultant weld commonly is faulty and includes discontinuities which cause leaks when in use. Moreover, improper seating of the end plug itself increases the likelihood of leakage, and it also is likely to result in pieces of the plug coming off occasionally as the plug is forced into the tube, which not only damages the end plug but also causes foreign matter to be deposited in the fuel rod. It is the principal object of the invention to alleviate these problems, and the invention accordingly resides in an apparatus for applying an end plug to an end of a nuclear fuel rod tube, characterized by a plugger guide having therethrough a longitudinal bore with one end for receiving the end plug, with an opposite end for receiving the end of the fuel rod tube to which the end plug is to be applied, and with a cross-sectional dimension enabling an end portion of the fuel rod tube, including said end thereof, to be received in said bore and enabling the plugger guide and said tube end portion to be telescopically moved over and into, respectively, one another for applying the end plug received in said one end of the bore to the tube end received through the opposite end of the bore, said plugger guide including means for maintaining said tube end accurately aligned with the end plug during relative movement therebetween. The plugger guide includes precisely positioned anti-friction bearings to establish the centerline of the fuel rod tube through rolling contact with the fuel rod tube. The guide aligns or centers the tube end and plenum spring (if employed) with the end plug before a strong plenum spring force is developed, and there is no sliding contact between the tube and the plugger guide. The apparatus includes further a carriage which is supported for reciprocal movement thereof between a home position and an end plug applying position and has the plugger guide mounted thereon, and a force aligning and transmitting assembly which comprises a guideway mounted on the carriage for movement together therewith and a plunger supported in said guideway in axial alignment with the end plug receiving end of the plugger guide bore and for axial movement of the plunger to and fro, drive means being provided for actuating the plunger toward said longitudinal bore and actuating said carriage toward its end plug applying position in a manner causing the end plug to be inserted into the end plug receiving end of the bore and to be applied to said tube end. Preferably, the guideway is adjustable relative to the plugger guide so as to permit accurate axial alignment of said plunger with the end plug receiving end of longitudinal bore of the plugger guide. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a fuel assembly illustrated in vertically foreshortened form and with parts broken away for clarity; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the end plug applying apparatus embodying the invention; Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view of the apparatus as seen along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken long line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Figs. 5 to 10 are schematic representations of the apparatus of Fig. 2, showing the relative positions of its components assumed in the sequence of successive steps performed in applying an end plug to a fuel rod tube; Fig. 11 is an enlarged side elevational view of the plugging guide employed with the apparatus embodying the invention; ; Fig. 12 is an end view of the plugging guide of Fig. 11; and Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the plugging guide taken along line 13-13 of Fig. 12. In the following description, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and terms such as nforward", Wrearwardw, "left", "right", "upwardly", ndownwardly", and the like are employed as words of convenience not to be construed as limiting terms. Referring first to Fig. 1, the fuel assembly illustrated therein and generally designated with reference numeral 10 is the type used in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) and basically comprises a lower end structure or bottom nozzle 12 for supporting the assembly on the lower core plate (not shown) in the core region of a reactor (not shown), a plurality of guide tubes or thimbles 14 projecting upward from the bottom nozzle 12, several transverse grids 16 spaced axially along the guide thimbles 14, an organized array of elongate fuel rods 18 transversely spaced and supported by the grids 16, an instrumentation tube 20, and an upper end structure or top nozzle 22 attached to the upper ends of the guide thimbles 14. With the parts thus arranged, the fuel assembly 10 forms an integral unit capable of being conventionally handled without damaging the assembly parts. Each of the fuel rods 18 contains nuclear fuel pellets 24, and has its opposite ends closed by means of upper and lower end plugs 26, 28 so as to hermetically seal the rod. As is usual, a plenum spring 30 is disposed between the upper end plug 26 and the pellets 24 to maintain the pellets in a firmly stacked relationship within the rod 18. The fuel pellets 24, composed of fissile material, are the actual source of reactive power generated in the PWR, a liquid moderator/coolant such as water, or water containing boron, being pumped upwards through the fuel assemblies of the core in order to extract heat generated therein for the production of useful work. To control the fission process, control rods 32 are reciprocally movable in the guide thimbles 14 disposed at predetermined locations in the fuel assembly 10. Specifically, the top nozzle 22 includes a rod cluster control mechanism 34 having an internally threaded cylindrical member 36 with radially extending flukes or arms 38, each of which is connected to a control rod 32. The control mechanism 34 is operable to move the control rods 32 vertically in the guide thimbles 14 in a manner such as to control the fission process in the fuel assembly 10, as well known in the art. There will now be described the end plug applying apparatus embodying the invention. The apparatus will be described herein as utilized in applying upper end plugs 26 to the upper ends 40 of fuel rod tubes 42 but it should be understood that the description applies equally to the use of the apparatus in applying lower end plugs 28 to the lower ends 44 of fuel rod tubes 42. Referring now to Figs. 2 to 4, the end plug applying apparatus, generally designated with reference numeral 46, basically comprises a generally planar base 48, a generally planar support carriage 50, and a track assembly 52 movably mounting the support carriage on the base. The base 48 is attached to a suitable stationary fixture (not shown) by means of bolts 54 which extend through elongate holes 56 in the front corners of the base, and a lateral adjustment mechanism 57 displaced rearwardly along the base from the front thereof and including threaded knobs 58. The latter and the elongate holes 56 permit the base 48 to be laterally adjusted, prior to being fixed in position on the stationary fixture, in order to assure proper alignment thereof with the fuel rod tubes 42 to be plugged. The track assembly 52 mounts the support carriage 50 on the base 48 for reciprocal movement longitudinally of the base along a generally rectilinear path of travel. More particularly, the track assembly 52 comprises an elongate guide track 60 which extends longitudinally of the base 48 on the upper surface 64 thereof and is secured thereto by means of screws 62 (only the forward one being seen in Fig. 3). The carriage 50 includes two pairs of guide roller assemblies each of which latter comprises a bolt 68 secured to the carriage and extending from the lower side 70 thereof, and a guide roller 66 rotatably mounted on the bolt 68. The pairs of guide roller assemblies are spaced apart longitudinally of the track 60, and the guide roller assemblies of each pair are spaced apart laterally, their rollers 66 peripherally engaging the track 60 from opposite sides. As seen from Figs. 3 and 4, the guide rollers 66 have a peripheral configuration complementary to that of the lateral sides of the guide track 60 so as to capture the guide track therebetween and adapt the rollers for longitudinal movement therealong. Specifically, each roller 66 has a peripheral groove 72 circumferentially formed thereon, and each lateral side of the guide track 60 is formed as ridge 74 which mates with the grooves 72 of the respective rollers 66. The end plug applying apparatus 46 includes also guide means in the form of a plogger guide 76 supported on the carriage 50 for movement therewith. The plugger guide 76 has an elongate central bore 78 with one end 80 for receiving an end plug 26 and with an opposite, outwardly flared end 82 for receiving the end 40 of a fuel rod tube 42 to be plugged. The bore 78 is adapted to guide the tube end 40, inserted through the flared end 82, toward the end plug 26 held at the end 80 of the bore for application of the end plug into the tube end. The plugger guide 76 is mounted by bolts 84 to the front of an end plug supply magazine 86 which, in turn, is mounted on the forward end of the support carriage 50. The supply magazine 86 is adapted to deliver end plugs 26, one at a time, by gravity feed into alignment with the end 80 of the plugger guide central bore 78. Additionally, the end plug applying apparatus 46 includes drive means, generally designated 88, coupled to the support carriage 50. The drive means 88 is operable to move the carriage 50 between two end positions distant from (Fig. 5) and adjacent to (Fig. 8), respectively, the end 40 of the stationarily positioned fuel rod tube 42 to which an end plug is to be applied, which distant and adjacent positions may also be referred to respectively as home and end plug applying positions of the carriage. The drive means 88 includes an actuator 90, preferably in the form of a pneumatic cylinder, stationarily mounted on the base 48 adjacent the rear end of the support carriage 50. The actuator 90 includes a drive member 92, preferably in the form of a piston rod, which is rectilinearly movable between a retracted position (Fig. 5) and an extended position (Fig. 8). The drive means 88 includes further a drive force aligning and transmitting assembly 94 coupled to the drive member 92 of the actuator 90 and extending to the end plug supply magazine 86. Generally speaking, as the drive means 88 is actuated, it first moves the assembly 94 alone, causing it to transfer the lowermost end plug 26 from the magazine into the plug receiving end 80 of the bore 78 of the plugger guide 76, whereupon the carriage 50 together with the plugger guide 76 is moved along with the assembly 94 to enable the latter to apply the transferred end plug 26 to the end 40 of the fuel rod tube 42. The drive force aligning and transmitting assembly 94 comprises a coupling element 96 which is threadably connected at one end thereof to the drive member 92, an elongate plunger element 98 pivotally connected to an opposite end of the coupling element 96 by means of a pin 100 extending generally perpendicular with respect to the carriage 50, a guideway 102 supporting the plunger element 98 for sliding movement therein in the direction of movement of the drive member 92, and a wedge bracket 104 for mounting and vertically positioning the guideway 102 and also the supply magazine 86 on the support carriage 50. The wedge bracket 104 has an adjustable knob 106 coupled with the guideway 102 so as, upon rotation of the knob, to vary the position of the guideway for the purpose of precisely aligning the plunger element 98 with the central bore 78 of the plugger guide 76. When guide/hold-down nuts 103 via guide/hold-down bolts 107 are loosened, rotation of the know 106 causes the wedge bracket 104 to move laterally in relation to the guideway 102. Since an inclined recess 105 in the bottom of the guideway 102 is cut at the same angle as the upper wedge surface of the bracket 104, the lateral movement of the wedge bracket 104 causes the guideway 102 to move vertically, the latter being restrained from any lateral motion due to the close fit of the guide/hold-down bolts 107 in their respective vertical bores 109 provided in the guideway 102 (see Fig. 3). The guideway 102 has an elongate passageway 108 in which the plunger element 98 is slidably supported in axial alignment with the central bore 78 of the plugger guide 76. An annular bushing 110 is mounted on the guideway 102 at the entrance to the passageway 108 and surrounds the plunger element 98. The plunger element 98 has a cylindrical main or leading portion 112 slidable in the passageway 108 of the guideway 102 and into the central bore 78 of the plugger guide 76 for transferring each end plug 26 into the bore 78, and a cylindrical trailing end portion sufficiently enlarged in diameter to enable it to engage the bushing 110 on the guideway 102. The leading main portion 112 and the trailing end portion 114 of the plunger element 98 are of such relative lengths with respect to each other as to ensure impingement of the trailing end portion 114 upon the bushing 110, and thereby transfer of the driving force of the drive member 92 to the support carriage 50 through the guideway 102, after the transfer of an end plug 26 into the plugger guide bore 78 as effected by the lead portion 112 of the plunger 98 is completed. Below the coupling element 96, the support carriage 50 has a guide slot 116 formed in the upper side 118 thereof, which slot 116 extends parallel to the rectilinear path of movement of the drive member 92. The assembly 94 includes a guide pin 120 which extends from the underside of the coupling element 96 and into the guide slot 116 so as to restrict the coupling element 96 to rectilinear movement in the direction of travel of the drive member 92. The end plug applying apparatus 46 further includes a return device 122 interconnecting the base 48 and the support carriage 50 in a manner such as to bias the support carriage toward its distant or retracted end position as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 10. The return device 122 comprises a pair of coil springs 124 connected under tension to and between respective pairs of upright posts 126, 128 (Fig. 2) protruding from the base 48 and from the support carriage 50, the springs 124 extending above and on opposite sides of the track assembly 52. The springs 124 are stretched when the support carriage 50 is moved toward the fuel rod tube end 40, i.e., in the plug applying direction, and they contract to restore the support carriage 50 to its retracted position remote from the tube end 40 upon corresponding movement of the drive member 92. The return springs 124 also aid in stabilizing the carriage 50 and the drive force aligning and transmit ting assembly 94 in the transverse direction during movement thereof as effected by the actuator 90. The return device 122 includes a stop pin 130 which is mounted on an upright brace 132 disposed on the rear of the support carriage 50 and behind the drive force aligning and transmitting assembly 94, and cooperates with the actuator 90 (see Figs. 2, 5, 6, 9 and 10) to stop the support carriage 50 upon reaching its end position remote from the fuel rod tube end 40. Referring now Figs. 5 to lQ, upon operation of the actuator 90, and whilst the carriage 50 together with the guideway 102, the end plug magazine 86, and the plugger guide 76 is still retained in its fully retracted position (Fig. 5) by the springs 124, the drive member 92 of the actuator 90 moves the plunger 98 towards the fuel rod tube 42 to be plugged, thereby causing its leading end to engage the lowermost end plug 26 in the magazine 86 and to transfer it into the central bore 78 of the plugger guide 76 (see Fig. 6). Upon completion of this end plug trans and and as the movement of the plunger 98 contir#es, its enlarged end portion 114 engages the bushing 110 on the guideway 102 and forces the latter together with the carriage, the magazine, and the plugger guide to move along with it, thereby causing the plugger guide 76 to be telescoped over the fuel rod tube 42 (Fig. 7) until the end plug 26 in the central bore 78 thereof reaches the tube end 40 and is rammed into it by the leading end of the plunger 98 (see Fig. 8). It is possible to reverse the sequence and have the drive member 92 move through almost its full stroke causing the end tube 40 to be inserted into the plugger guide 76 before the plunger element 98 is moved to transfer the end plug 26 into the bore 78 and then press fit it into the tube end 40. Upon completion of the end plug applying operation described above, the direction of movement of the drive member 92 and, hence, of the plunger element 98 is reversed, and the drive member together with the plunger element moves from the fully extended position (Fig. 8) toward the fully retracted position thereof. The carriage 50 will follow the moving plunger element 98 under the action of the return springs 124 (Fig. 2) until the plugger guide 76 is completely withdrawn from the plugged end 40 of the fuel rod tube 42 and the pin 130 on the carriage 50 impinges upon the actuator 90 to terminate further movement of the carriage (see Fig. 9). This happens before the drive member 92 and the plunger element 98 have reached their fully retracted position, and as the drive member and plunger element proceed to move, the plunger element 98 which up to this moment had its leading portion 112 still engaged in the central bore 78 of the plugger guide 76 is completely withdrawn therefrom, thereby enabling the next end plug 26 at the bottom of the magazine 86 to gravitate into position ready for transfer. All movement of the drive member 92 and plunger element 98 is terminated when the coupling member 96 bottoms against the upright brace 132 of the carriage 50, as shown in Fig. 10. The plugger guide 76 preferably is of the improved design illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13. It comprises a guide housing 134 having the central bore 78 axially extending therethrough, and several¯ sets 136, 138, 140 of rolling elements 142 disposed in the housing 134 at axially spaced positions along and about the axial bore 78. The rolling elements 142 in each set are positioned in separate recesses 144 formed in the housing 134 so as to extend radially from the central bore 78, and which are open both toward the bore 78 and toward the exterior of the housing. The rolling elements 142 are rotatably mounted in the respective recesses 144 in a fixed relation with respect to one another and in a manner such that their peripheries extend into the bore 78 far enough to establish rolling contact with the end 40 of the fuel rod tube 42 when it is inserted into the plugger guide bore 78 through its flared end 82. The rolling elements 142 are precisely positioned with respect to one another so as to accurately align the tw ena 40 with the end plug 26 as the tube end 40 moves between the rolling elements 142 through the bore 78 and into engagement with the end plug 26. More particular, and as seen best in Fig. 13, each rolling element 142. preferably in the form of a stainless steel ball bearing, comprises an outer cylindrical race 146, an inner cylindrical race 148 disposed within the outer race 146 coaxially therewith, and metallic balls 150, preferably made of stainless steel, disposed between the outer and inner races 146, 148 for allowing rotation of the outer race relative to the inner race. Each rolling element 142 is mounted in the guide housing 134 on a pin 152 which extends across the associated recess 144 and is press fit between the surface portions of the housing 134 defining the recess, the pin 152 extending through the inner race 148 and preferably forming a slip fit therewith. In each of the sets 136, 138, 140 of rolling elements there are four rolling elements 142 circumferentially spaced about the guide housing bore 78 in the recesses 144 which preferably are approximately ninety degrees apart. Preferably, there are three sets of rolling elements axially spaced along the bore 78. The plugger guide 76 has an enlarged end portion 154 around the end plug receiving end 80 of the axial bore 78, in which enlarged end portion 156 there is disposed a yieldable end plug retaining means generally designated 156 and adapted to assist in holding each end plug 26 transferred into the end 80 of the central bore 87 stationarily in position for being applied to the end 40 of the fuel rod tube 42. The retaining means 156 comprises a bore 158 extending radially with respect to the plug receiving end 80 of the central bore 78. A retainer pin 160 seated in the radial bore 158 extends through a smaller diameter opening 162 into the central bore end 80 for engagement with the periphery of the end plug 26 transferred thereto. The retainer pin 160 is biased toward the central bore by means of a pressure spring 164 disposed in the radial bore 158 between the pin 160 and a threaded plug closing the outer end of the radial bore. In addition to the retaining means 156 holding the end plug 26, the plug receiving end 80 of the axial bore 78 has a diameter such as to provide a good frictional fit with the end plug 26 which also serves to hold the end plug. As seen from Fig. 11, the enlarged guide housing end portion 154 has an observation hole 166 permitting a determination to be made as to whether an end plug 26 is present at the axial bore end 80.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for applying an end plug to an end of a nuclear fuel rod tube, characterized by a plugger guide (76) having therethrough a longitudinal bore (78) with one end (80) for receiving the end plug (26), with an opposite end (82) for receiving the end of the fuel rod tube (42) to which the end plug is to be applied, and with a cross-sectional dimension enabling an end portion of the fuel rod tube, including said end (40) thereof, to be received in said bore (78) and enabling the plugger guide and said tube end portion to be telescopically moved over and into, respectively, one another for applying the end plug (26) received in said one end (80) of the bore (76) to the tube end (40) received through the opposite end (82) of the bore, said plugger guide (76) including means (142) for maintaining said tube end accurately aligned with the end plug during relative movement therebetween. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said plugger guide (76) comprises an elongate housing (134) having said longitudinal bore (78) extending therethrough, and said means (142) for maintaining the tube end aligned with the end plug comprise several sets (136, 138, 140) of rolling elements (142) supported in said housing, said sets of rolling elements being spaced apart along said bore, and the rolling elements in each set being positioned in fixed relationship with respect to each other about the bore such as to receive and radially support said tube end portion therebetween. 3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that each set (136, 138, 140) of rolling elements (142) contains four rolling elements (142) spaced substantially 90 degrees apart circumferentially about said longitudinal bore (78). 4. Apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that there are at least three of said sets (136,138,140) of rolling elements (142). 5. Apparatus according to claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that each of said rolling elements (142) is an anti-friction bearing. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said anti-friction bearing (142) is mounted on a pin (152) press-fit into the housing (134). 7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that each anti-friction bearing (142) includes an outer race (146) and an inner race (148), said pin (152) extending through said inner race (148) and forming a slip-fit therewith. 8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that said elongate housing (134) includes plug retaining means (156) for holding the end plug (26), when received in said one end (80) of the longitudinal bore (76), in position for application thereof to said tube end (40). 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said plug retaining means (156) comprises a radial bore (158) formed in a wall portion of the elongate housing (134), and a spring¯loadedpin member (160) seated in said radial bore (158) and biased toward frictional engagement with the periphery of the end plug (26) received in said one end (80) of the longitudinal bore (78). 10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a carriage (50) supported for reciprocal movement thereof between a home position and an end-plug applying position, said plugger guide (76) being mounted on said carriage for movement together therewith. 11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized by a force aligning and transmitting assembly (94) comprising a guideway (102) mounted on the carriage (50) for movement together therewith and disposed adjacent the plugger guide (76) near the end-plug receiving end (80) of its longitudinal bore (78), and a plunger (98) supported in said guideway (102) in axial alignment with said end-plug receiving end (80) and for axial movement of the plunger (98) to and fro; and further characterized by drive means (88) for actuating the plunger (98) toward said longitudinal bore (78) and actuating said carriage (50) toward its end-plug applying position in a manner causing the end plug (26) to be inserted into the end-plug receiving end (80) of the longitudinal bore and to be applied to said tube end (40). 12. Apparatus according to claim ll, characterized in that said guideway (102) is adjustable relative to the plugger guide (76) so as to permit accurate axial alignment of said plunger (98) with the end-plug receiving end (80) of the longitudinal bore (78). 13. Apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that said drive means (88) is coupled directly to one, and through said one is coupled to the other, of said plunger (98) and said carriage (50) in a manner such as first to actuate said one and then, through said one, actuate the other of the plunger and carriage. 14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said drive means (88) is coupled to the plunger (98), and said plunger has an enlarged portion (114) adapted, during actuation of the plunger and arrival thereof at the plug--receiving end of said bore (78), to engage a part (110) of said guideway (102) on the carriage (50) and to drive the latter to its end-plug applying position thereof as the plunger continues to be actuated toward an end position thereof. 15. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that said other of the plunger and carriage has associated therewith spring means (124) for returning it, after actuation, to the home position thereof. 16. Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that said carriage (50) is supported on a stationary track assembly (52) for rectilinear movement therealong. 17. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said carriage (50) has associated therewith return means (122) for restoring the carriage from the end plug applying position to the home position thereof, and stop means (130) for terminating the return movement of the carriage upon arrival thereof in its home position while allowing said drive means (88) to complete returning said plunger (98) to the home position thereof. 18. Apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that said return means comprises a pair of tension springs (124) connected to the carriage so as to be stretched upon movement of the carriage to its end plug applying position, said tension springs extending on opposite sides of the track assembly (52). 19. Apparatus according to claim 16, 17 or 18, characterized in that said track assembly (52) comprises an elongate track (60), and at least two pairs of guide rollers (66) rotatably mounted on the lower side of the carriage (50), said pairs of guide rollers being spaced apart along said track (60) and the guide rollers (66) of each pair peripherally engaging the track from opposite sides thereof. 20. Apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that each of said guide rollers (66) has a peripheral surface complementary to, and mating with, a guide surface on the adjacent side of said track (60). 21. Apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that each roller (66) has a circumferential groove (72) formed in the periphery thereof, and said guide surface has the form of a ridge (74) mating with the groove (72). 22. Apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 21, characterized by end plug feed means (86) mounted on said carriage (50) adjacent the plugger guide (76) and adapted to deliver one end plug (26) at a time into alignment with the end plug receiving end (80) of said longitudinal bore (78). 23. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said one end (80) of the longitudinal bore (78) has a diameter such as to form a friction fit with the end plug (26) when received therein.

Inventors: BOATWRIGHT, DAVID ANTHONY, KLAPPER, KENNETH KANE, RIEBEN, STUART LOUIS, WYLIE, MARK ELLIOTT
Applicants: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G21C3
IPC codes: G21C3