Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of manufacturing a fuel element skeleton having a top nozzle, a bottom nozzle, a plurality of elongated thimble tubes having an axial dimension, the thimble tubes being supported in a spaced parallel array extending axially between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle, a plurality of spacer grids arranged in tandem between the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle, supporting the thimble tubes in the spaced parallel array at spaced axial elevations between the top nozzle and bottom nozzle and a bottom thimble end plug extending axially from the bottom nozzle towards the top nozzle and substantially terminating at a juncture with a lowermost portion of one of the plurality of thimble tubes, wherein the bottom thimble end plug has a recess in an upper end proximate the juncture of the lowermost portion of the one of the plurality of thimble tubes, the recess in the upper end of the thimble end plug having one of either a female or male mechanically coupling contour and further including a dashpot having an outer diameter that closely approximates an interior diameter of the thimble, the dashpot including a lowermost extension with the other of either the male or female mechanically coupling contour that mates with the mechanically coupling contour in the recess in the upper end of the thimble end plug, comprising the steps of:setting up a plurality of components comprising the top nozzle, bottom nozzle, thimble tubes with the bottom thimble end plug affixed and the spacer grids in a manufacturing fixture that positions each of the components in the fuel assembly skeleton;attaching the bottom nozzle to the bottom thimble end plug;inserting a bulging tool into a top of the thimble tube;lowering the bulging tool within the thimble tube to an elevation of a lower most grid of the plurality of grids above an elevation of the thimble end plug;expanding the bulging tool to press fit the thimble tube to the lowermost grid;removing the bulging tool from the thimble tube;inserting the dashpot into the thimble tube;manipulating the dashpot to engage the female and male mechanically coupling contours in the thimble end plug recess and dashpot end plug lowermost extension;inserting the bulging tool within the thimble tool;expanding the bulging tool to press fit the dashpot to a lower section of the thimble tube and the thimble tube to the plurality of spacer grids above the lowermost grid;removing the bulging tool from the thimble tube; andremoving the components now assembled from the manufacturing fixture. 2. The method of manufacturing a fuel element skeleton of claim 1 wherein the step of attaching the bottom nozzle to the bottom thimble end plug comprises securing the bottom nozzle to the bottom thimble end plug with a standard product thimble screw. 3. The method of manufacturing a fuel element skeleton of claim 1 wherein the dashpot includes a lower dashpot end plug from which the lowermost extension extends and wherein the manipulating step comprises turning the dashpot end plug so the female and male mechanically coupling contours engage. 4. The method of manufacturing a fuel element skeleton of claim 3 wherein the dashpot end plug has an upper surface with an articulated contour and the turning step comprises engaging the articulated contour on the upper surface of the dashpot end plug with an engagement tool having a mating articulated extension that mates with the articulated contour of the upper surface on the dashpot end plug and using the engagement tool to torque the dashpot end plug in the recess in the thimble end plug. 5. The method of manufacturing a fuel element skeleton of claim 1 including the step of viewing the seating of the dashpot end plug in the recess in the bottom thimble end plug recess through a hole in a wall of the bottom thimble end plug.