Nuclear reactor fuel element comprising a plurality of concentric cylinders

Claim 1

A SOLID NUCLEAR FUEL ELEMENT COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRIC CIRCULAR CYLINDERS, EACH OF SAID CYLINDERS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF NUCLEAR FUEL CONTAINING CYLINDRICAL SECTIONS THE OPPOSED EDGES OF SAID SECTIONS HAVING SERRATED OUTLINES DESCRIBING A SERIES OF ALTERNATE TAB PORTIONS AND INDENTATION PORTIONS, THE TAB PORTIONS AND INDENTATION PORTIONS OF CONTIGUOUS SECTIONS EACH CYLINDER BEING FITTED TOGETHER SO AS TO COMPLETELY COLSE THE SURFACE OF THAT CYLINDER, EACH SAID CYLINDER HAVING THE SAME NUMBER OF SECTIONS AND HAVING SAID SECTIONS ARRANGED IN SPACED OVERLYING RELATION TO THE CORRESPONDING SECTIONS ON EACH OTHER CYLINDER SO THAT THE SERRATED EDGES OF EACH SAID OVERLYING SECTION ARE DISPOSED IN RADIAL OVERLYING RELATION TO THE SERRATED EDGES OF EACH SAID CORRESPONDING OVERLYING SECTION, THE SAID TAB PORTIONS AND INDENTATION PORTIONS OF THE SERRATED EDGES OF EACH SAID CORRESPONDING OVERLYING SECTION OF EACH CYLINDER BEING ARRANGED SO THAT EACH TAB ON ANY FITTED SERRATED SECTION EDGE OF ANY CYLINGER IS RADIALLY BORDERED BY AN INDENTATION ON ANY OVELYING CORRESPONDING SECTION OF ANY OTHER RADIALLY BORDERING SPACED CYLINDER, AND SO THAT EACH TAB ON ANY FITTED SERRATED SECTION EDGE OF ANY CYLINDER IS RADIALLY BORDERED BY A TAB ON THE SECTION CONTIGUOUS TO ANY OVERLYING CORRESPONDING SECTION OF ANY OTHER RADIALLY BORDERING SPACED CYLINDER; A PLURALITY OF SPACER MEMBER INTERPOSED BETWEEN EACH OF SAID CYLINDER AND ALL BORDERING CYLINDERS, SAID SPACER MEMBERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG EACH OF SAID BORDERING OVERLYING SERRATED FITTED EDGES, SAID SPACERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AS WIDE AS SAID TABS AND SUPPORTING SAID CYLINDERS APART IN CLOSE SPACED REGISTRATION; AND A PLURALITY OF RETAINING PINS IN REGISTRATION RADIALLY THROUGH EACH PLURALITY OF RADIALLY OVERLYING TABS, EACH OF SAID RETAINING PINS PASSING THROUGH A RADIAL PLURALITY OF OVERLYING TABS AND THROUGH SAID INTERPOSED SPACER MEMBERS, SAID PLURALITY OF RETAINING PINS BEING FIXED THEREIN SO AS TO LOCK ALL SAID SPACERS AND SEGMENTS TOGETHER RADIALLY AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY.