Cecil A Howell

US Patent:

45222762, Jun 11, 1985

Filed:

Jun 20, 1983

Appl. No.:

6/505669

Inventors:

James L. Fogg - Columbia SC
George E. Vining - West Columbia SC
John H. Smith - Columbia SC
Cecil A. Howell - Columbia SC

Assignee:

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

International Classification:

G01G 1900
G01G 2302
B65G 1133

US Classification:

177145

Abstract:

An individual nuclear fuel rod weighing system for rods carried on a tray which moves along a materials handling conveyor. At a first tray position on the conveyor, a lifting device raises the rods off the tray and places them on an overhead ramp. A loading mechanism conveys the rods singly from the overhead ramp onto an overhead scale for individual weighing. When the tray is at a second position on the conveyor, a transfer apparatus transports each weighed rod from the scale back onto the tray.

US Patent:

45738475, Mar 4, 1986

Filed:

Aug 12, 1983

Appl. No.:

6/522898

Inventors:

Cecil A. Howell - Columbia SC
Ernest R. Lacy - Columbia SC

Assignee:

Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Pittsburgh PA

International Classification:

B65G 5718

US Classification:

414 63

Abstract:

A system, for loading a group of elongated rods into a tray from a ramp, which includes a controllable rod stop located on the ramp, an air-tight envelope, and a tray positioning mechanism. The envelope has one end attached to the ramp's lower end and has a hole in its lower surface near the ramp's lower end. The envelope is stiff enough to self-inflate with air and to self-project its opposing end away from the ramp's lower end, when the envelope is left free. The tray positioning mechanism places the tray next to and under the envelope when the rods are to be loaded. When the rod stop is disengaged, the rods roll onto the envelope and are lowered into the tray as the weight of the rods push the air out of the envelope through its hole.