Control rod drive coupling mechanism

Claim 2

A COUPLING MECHANISM FOR CONNECTING A ROD HAVING AN ENLARGED HEAD PORTION FORMING A MALE COUPLING MEMBER WITH AN ELONGATED SHAFT HAVING A LENGTHWISE BORE THEREIN, SAID COUPLING MECHANISM COMPRISING A FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER ROTATABLY ATTACHED TO ONE END OF THE SHAFT, AND MEANS ACCESSIBLE THROUGH SAID BORE FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER TO SAID SHAFT TO PREVENT ROTATION THEREBETWEEN, SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER INCLUDING A BAYONET TYPE SOCKET, SAID SOCKET BEING PROPORTIONED FOR RECEIVING THE ENLARGED HEAD PORTION OF SAID ROD AND BEING SO SHAPED RELATIVE TO THE HEAD PORTION SO THAT ROTATION OF SAID SOCKET RELATIVE TO THE HEAD, WHEN THE HEAD IS FULLY INSERTED IN SAID SOCKET, IS EFFECTIVE TO LOCK SAID ROD TO SAID SHAFT.

Claim 3

A CONTROL ROD DRIVE FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR, SAID CONTROL ROD DRIVE BEING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION WITH A CONTROL ROD HAING A MALE COUPLING ELEMENT INCLUDING AN ENLARGED HEAD WITH A CROSS SECTION WHICH IS ASYMMETRICAL ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE CROSS SECTION, SAD CONTROL ROD DRIVE INCLUDING AN ELONGATED DRIVE SHAFT WHICH IS AXIALLY MOVEBLE RELATIVE TO THE CORE OF THE REACTOR AND HAS AN AXIS BORE THEREIN, A LEAD SCREW LOCATED IN SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID LEAD SCREW BEING COUPLED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT SO THAT LEAD SCREW ROTATION CAUSES AXIAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID LEAD SCREW HAVING A CENTRAL BORE THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE, A FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT AT THE END THEREOF ADJACENT THE CORE OF THE REACTOR, SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER HAVING THEREIN A BORE COMMUNICATION WITH SAID LEAD SCREW BORE THROUGH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE AND BEING ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS ACCESSIBLE THROUGH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER AGAINST ROTATION, A BAYONET TYPE SOCKET CARRIED BY SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER AT THE END THEREFOR ADJACENT TO THE CORE OF THE REACTOR, SAID SOCKET BEING FORMED WITH AN INNER CAVITY AND A PASSAGEWAY LEADING TO SAID CAVITY, SAID CAVITY BEING PROPORTIONED FOR RECEIVING THE ENLARGED HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER AND FOR PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN THE HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER AND SAID SOCKET, SAID PASSAGEWAY HAVING A CROSS SECTION CORRESPONDING TO THE CROSS SECTION OF THE HAND OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER, WHEREBY ENTRY IF THE HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER INTO THE CAVITY IS PERMITTED AND WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID SOCKET RELATIVE TO THE HEAD, WHEN THE HEAD IS FULLY INSERTED IN SAID CAVITY, IS EFFECTIVE TO PREVENT DISCONNECTION OF THE CONTROL ROD FROM SAID DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS CONNECTING SAID SCOKET WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER FOR ROTATION OF SAID SOCKET WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER AND FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SOCKET RELATIVE TO SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER, ROTATABLE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID LEAD SCREW FOR SELCTIVE AXIAL DISPLACEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID LEAD SCREW AND THOUGH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE FROM A RETRACTED POSITION TO OPERATIVE POSITIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOCKING MEANS SO AS TO EFFECT RELEASE OF SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER FOR ROTATION AND WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER SO AS TO ROTATE SAID SOCKET RELATIVE TO THE ENLARGED HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER, MEANS RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEANS IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION TO PREVENT OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEANS WITH SAID LOCKING MEANS AND WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER, MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEAMS TO DISCONNCT SAID AXIALLY,, DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEANS FROM SAID RETRACTED POSITION SO AS TO PERMIT OPERABLE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ACIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEWNS WITH SAID LOCKING MEANS AND WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER, AND SEALING MEANS BETWEEN SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE MEANS AND SAID LEAD SCREW FOR PREVENTING THE ESCAPE OF FLUID FROM THE CORE OF THE REACTOR WHEN SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE MEANS IS IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION.

Claim 4

A CONTROL ROD DRIVE FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR, SAID CONTROL ROD DRIVE BEING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION WITH A CONTROL ROD HAING A MALE COUPLING ELEMENT INCLUDING AN ENLARGED HEAD WITH A CROSS SECTION WHICH IS ASYMMETRICAL ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE CROSS SECTION, SAD CONTROL ROD DRIVE INCLUDING AN ELONGATED DRIVE SHAFT WHICH IS AXIALLY MOVEBLE RELATIVE TO THE CORE OF THE REACTOR AND HAS AN AXIS BORE THEREIN, A LEAD SCREW LOCATED IN SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID LEAD SCREW BEING COUPLED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT SO THAT LEAD SCREW ROTATION CAUSES AXIAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID LEAD SCREW HAVING A CENTRAL BORE THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE, A FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT AT THE END THEREOF ADJACENT THE CORE OF THE REACTOR, SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER HAVING THEREIN A BORE COMMUNICATION WITH SAID LEAD SCREW BORE THROUGH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE AND BEING ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS ACCESSIBLE THROUGH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER AGAINST ROTATION, A BAYONET TYPE SOCKET CARRIED BY SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER AT THE END THEREFOR ADJACENT TO THE CORE OF THE REACTOR, SAID SOCKET BEING FORMED WITH AN INNER CAVITY AND A PASSAGEWAY LEADING TO SAID CAVITY, SAID CAVITY BEING PROPORTIONED FOR RECEIVING THE ENLARGED HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER AND FOR PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN THE HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER AND SAID SOCKET, SAID PASSAGEWAY HAVING A CROSS SECTION CORRESPONDING TO THE CROSS SECTION OF THE HAND OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER, WHEREBY ENTRY IF THE HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER INTO THE CAVITY IS PERMITTED AND WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID SOCKET RELATIVE TO THE HEAD, WHEN THE HEAD IS FULLY INSERTED IN SAID CAVITY, IS EFFECTIVE TO PREVENT DISCONNECTION OF THE CONTROL ROD FROM SAID DRIVE SHAFT, MEANS CONNECTING SAID SCOKET WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER FOR ROTATION OF SAID SOCKET WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER AND FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SOCKET RELATIVE TO SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER, ROTATABLE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID LEAD SCREW FOR SELCTIVE AXIAL DISPLACEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID LEAD SCREW AND THOUGH SAID DRIVE SHAFT BORE FROM A RETRACTED POSITION TO OPERATIVE POSITIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOCKING MEANS SO AS TO EFFECT RELEASE OF SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER FOR ROTATION AND WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER SO AS TO ROTATE SAID SOCKET RELATIVE TO THE ENLARGED HEAD OF THE MALE COUPLING MEMBER, MEANS RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEANS IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION TO PREVENT OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEANS WITH SAID LOCKING MEANS AND WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER, MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEAMS TO DISCONNCT SAID AXIALLY,, DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEANS FROM SAID RETRACTED POSITION SO AS TO PERMIT OPERABLE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ACIALLY DISPLACEABLE, ROTATABLE MEWNS WITH SAID LOCKING MEANS AND WITH SAID FEMALE COUPLING MEMBER, AND SEALING MEANS BETWEEN SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE MEANS AND SAID LEAD SCREW FOR PREVENTING THE ESCAPE OF FLUID FROM THE CORE OF THE REACTOR WHEN SAID AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE MEANS IS IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION.