Cover plate assembly for sealing spaces between turbine buckets

Claim 1

IN A TURBINE, THE COMBINATION OF A TURBINE WHEEL HAVING A RIM DEFINING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED, AXIALLY EXTENDING DOVETAIL SLOTS, A PLURALITY OF LONG SHANK TURBINE BUCKETS HAVING DOVETAIL BASE PORTIONS DISPOSED IN SAID SLOTS, SAID BUCKET BASE PORTIONS HAVING AXIAL LENGTHS LESS THAN THOSE OF SAID DOVETAL SLOTS, A PLURALITY OF COVER PLATES DISPOSED AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BUCKET SHANKS, EACH PLATE HAVING RADIALLY EXTENDING FLAT PLATE PORTIONS TAPERING IN FRONT ELEVATION AND DISPOSED ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER SO AS TO BLOCK THE SPACES BETWEEN BUCKET SHANKS, EACH PLATE PORTION HAVING A DOVETAIL BASE PORTION DISPOSED IN A DOVETAIL SLOT ADJACENT A BUCKET BASE PORTION, AND MEANS PREVENTING RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE COVER PLATE BASE PORTIONS AND THE TURBINE WHEEL RIM, WHEREBY THE COVER PLATES AND TURBINE BUCKETS ARE INDIVIDUALLY SUPPORTED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE DOVETAIL BASE PORTIONS.