Spacers with deflection-limited rod contacts for nuclear fuel assemblies and methods of making the same

A nuclear fuel assembly comprising:

• a plurality of fuel rods containing nuclear fuel and extending in an axial direction;
• and
• a spacer through which the fuel rods pass, wherein the spacer includes,
• a plurality of internal members forming a plurality of internal openings and each of the fuel rods passes through a corresponding one of the internal openings, and
• at least one rod contact extending into one of the internal openings and having a transverse length to contact the fuel rod passing through the opening, wherein the rod contact includes an elastic resistive member and a corresponding deflection limiter, wherein the deflection limiter has a transverse length shorter than the elastic resistive member such that the fuel rod and elastic resistive member must move toward the internal member in the transverse direction to contact the deflection limiter, and wherein a difference between the transverse length of the deflection limiter and the transverse length of the elastic resistive member is approximately equal to a threshold for plastic deformation of the elastic resistive member.

A fuel spacer for use in a nuclear fuel assembly, the spacer comprising:

• a plurality of internal members forming a plurality of internal openings each configured to receive a fuel rod and secure the fuel rod within the spacer, wherein each of the internal members includes,
• a rod contact having an elastic resistive member and a corresponding deflection limiter, wherein the elastic resistive member extends a first transverse length into one opening of the plurality of internal openings formed by the internal member to contact the fuel rod passing through the one opening, wherein the corresponding deflection limiter extends a second transverse length into the one opening, and wherein the second transverse length is shorter into the one opening than the first transverse length so that the corresponding deflection limiter will not contact the fuel rod centered in the one opening;
• and
• a band surrounding the plurality of internal members.