HIGH PERFORMANCE RELIABILITY FUEL PELLET

A fuel pellet for a nuclear reactor fuel rod, the pellet comprising a substantially cylindrical central section having a convex first end section (3) characterized in that: said first end section (3) is smoothly joined to one axial end of said centralsection at a first junction, said first junction approximating a smooth and continuous curved surface; and a concave second end section (5) of the pellet is joined to said central section (1) at a second junction, said second junction approximating a smooth and continuous curved surface, the curvature of said concave second end section (5) being conformed to the curvature of said convex first end section (3).