Patent Number: 059178752
Section: abstract

Apparatus for rectifying the tendency of a fuel assembly (1) to incline from the perpendicular has a top nozzle support (19) and a base assembly (18) for supporting, respectively, a top nozzle (7) and a bottom nozzle (2) of the fuel assembly. Incorporated in the base assembly is an elevating device (78, 79) which is operable to raise the fuel assembly. When raised, a grinding assembly (62) in the base assembly is able to remove material from the lower surfaces of the bottom nozzle so that they lie in a horizontal plane. The elevating device comprises a gimbal mounting arrangement which includes a gimbal (94) movably supported on a gimbal mount (88) by means of cooperating male and female spherically-shaped bearing surfaces. The grinding assembly includes a grinding wheel (66) which is mounted on a rotor (43) arranged for rotation about an axis along which the elevating device raises the fuel assembly so that material can be removed from each of the lower surfaces during one revolution of the rotor.