Apparatus for aligning nuclear fuel pellets

This patent describes an apparatus for aligning nuclear fuel pellets. It comprises: endless means for advancing nuclear fuel pellets along a generally linear path in a direction generally coincident with their axes; means disposed in the linear path for stopping advancement of the pellets along the linear path for assembling a row of the pellets along the linear path; means disposed along the linear path for sensing when advancement of a prescribed number of the pellets in a row have been stopped by the advancement stopping means; means for successively feeding pellet holding trays one at a time to a pellet receiving position located lower than the linear path; a panel defining an inclined path extending from the linear path to one of the trays disposed at the receiving position; and means disposed along the linear path and being responsive to the sensing means for transferring the pellets in the row thereof from the linear path along the inclined path to a groove defined in the one of the trays disposed at the receiving position