Interblade baffle and damper

Claim 2

For use in a turbomachinery rotor assembly of the type including a plurality of blades extending generally radially from the periphery of a rotor disc, said blades having platform portions spaced outwardly from said rotor disc periphery by shank portions, with said platforms defining the inner boundary for motive fluid flow through said rotor assembly and said blades defining locking slot means, a baffle and damper assembly comprising: spaced, axially facing end plates sized to generally close the opening between adjacent blade shanks, a connecting member extending between and joining said end plates, retaining means sized to engage said slot means and secure said baffle and damper means between a pair of adjacent blades against the urging of centrifugal force, and at least one damper weight movably carried by said baffle and damper assembly and adapted to bear against the underside of the platforms of said adjacent blades under the urging of centrifugal force and damp blade vibration through the mechanism of heat producing relative slip, said damper weight secured to said connecting member and movable with respect thereto into and out of engagement with the underside of the platforms of said adjacent blades.

Claim 3

For use in a turbomachinery rotor assembly of the type including a plurality of blades extending generally radially from the periphery of a rotor disc, said blades having platform portions spaced outwardly from said rotor disc periphery by shank portions, with said platforms defining the inner boundary for motive fluid flow through said rotor assembly and said blades defining locking slot means, a baffle and damper assembly comprising: spaced, axially facing end plates sized to generally close the opening between adjacent blade shanks, a connecting member extending between and joining said end plates, retaining means sized to engage said slot means and secure said baffle and damper means between a pair of adjacent blades against the urging of centrifugal force, and at least one damper weight movably carried by said baffle and damper assembly and adapted to bear against the underside of the platforms of said adjacent blades under the urging of centrifugal force and damp blade vibration through the mechanism of heat producing relative slip, further characterized in that said connecting member is formed with a slot for each said damper weight, each said damper weight being generally U-shaped in cross section and including tabs which project from each leg thereof into said slot to thereby movably secure said damper weight to said connecting member.

Claim 4

For use in a turbomachinery rotor assembly of the type including a plurality of blades extending generally radially from the periphery of a rotor disc, said blades having platform portions spaced outwardly from said rotor disc periphery by shank portions, with said platforms defining the inner boundary for motive fluid flow through said rotor assembly and said blades defining locking slot means, a baffle and damper assembly comprising: spaced, axially facing end plates sized to generally close the opening between adjacent blade shanks, a connecting member extending between and joining said end plates, retaining means sized to engage said slot means and secure said baffle and damper means between a pair of adjacent blades against the urging of centrifugal force, and at least one damper weight movably carried by said baffle and damper assembly and adapted to bear against the underside of the platforms of said adjacent blades under the urging of centrifugal force and damp blade vibration through the mechanism of heat producing relative slip, further characterized in that said connecting member is formed with a slot for each said damper weight, each said damper weight being generally U-shaped in cross section and including tabs which project from each leg thereof into said slot to thereby movably secure said damper weight to said connecting member.