Bundle retention clip, fuel assembly including the same, and method of assembling fuel assembly

A fuel assembly comprising:

• a channel nosepiece;
• a lower tie plate positioned above the channel nosepiece;
• and
• at least one bundle retention clip connected to the channel nosepiece and the lower tie plate and configured to resist movement of the lower tie plate away from the channel nosepiece,
• wherein the lower tie plate includes at least one slot, and the at least one bundle retention clip includes an engagement region configured to be inserted into the slot,
• wherein the at least one slot and the engagement region are configured such that once the engagement region is inserted into the slot, the retention clip responds to vertical separation of the lower tie plate and the bundle retention clip by causing a force to be exerted on the lower tie plate in a direction towards the channel nosepiece,
• wherein the engagement region includes at least one spring member, the at least one spring member including a first protrusion extending outward from a central axis of the retention clip, the first protrusion including a first edge angled with respect to the central axis at a first angle, the slot being configured to engage the first edge such that,
• after the engagement region is inserted into the slot, the slot causes the first spring member to contract towards the central axis during the vertical separation of the lower tie plate and the bundle retention clip, and
• an amount of the contraction of the first spring member towards the central axis increases as the vertical separation increases, thereby increasing the force exerted on the lower tie plate as the vertical separation increases, the central axis being defined as an axis extending down a center of the retention clip along a length of the retention clip.