Compensating device for turbomachine bucket wheel

Claim 1

IN A TURBINE ROTOR, THE COMBINATION OF A ROTOR WHEEL HAVING A RIM DEFINING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING DOVETAIL RIBS, A PLURALITY OF TURBINE BUCKETS DISPOSED ON SAID RIM EACH INCLUDING BASE PORTIONS DEFINING DOVETAIL GROOVES MATING WITH SAID DOVETAIL RIBS, SAID BASE PORTIONS DEFINING RADIAL FACES ON OPPOSITE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SIDES THEREOF WHICH ABOUT THOSE OF ADJACENT BASE PORTIONS AND WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO OXIDATION AND SCALE ACCUMULATION WHEN CYCLICALLY EXPOSED TO A MOTIVE FLUID, AND MEANS SEPARATING THE BASES OF TWO SPACED ADJACENT BUCKETS, SAID SEPARATING MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST MEMBER DEFINING A RECESS AND A SECOND MEMBER DISPOSED IN THE END OF SAID RECESS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SPACED BUCKETS SO THAT A CIRCUMFERENTIAL CLOSING MOVEMENT THEREOF WILL EXTRUDE THE SECOND MEMBER INTO SAID RECESS AND PERMANENTLY SHORTEN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIMENTION OF SAID SEPARATING MEANS UNDER A PREDETERMINED CIRCUMFERENTIAL COMPRESSIVE FORCE.