Axial flow turbine stationary blade and blade ring locking arrangement

Claim 1

An axial flow turbomachine comprising: an outer generally cylindrical casing; a generally coaxial inner casing, said inner casing and said outer casing generally defining a plenum chamber therebetween; an annular array of stationary blades disposed within said inner casing said stationary blades having an outer shroud portion; a rotor having an array of rotatable blades on its periphery, said rotatable blades being mounted coaxial and adjacent said stationary blades; an array of arcuate blade ring segments disposed radially outwardly of said rotatable blades; said array of stationary blades comprising arcuate integral vane segments thereof; said stationary blades being supported from said inner casing by arcuate support segments disposed on the upstream portions and intermediate portions, of said inner casing, all of said arcuate support segments and said innner casing having a track and channel interlock means therebetween, said arcuate support segments and said outer shroud portion of said stationary integral vane segments and said blade rings having a track and channel interlock means therebetween, the downstream edge of said blade rings supported by an array of arcuate support segments, each arcuate support segment having means to fixedly attach at least one point of its radially outer periphery to the inner casing to permit free circumferential expansion and contraction of said arcuate support segments; said inner and outer casings being separable longitudinal into generally upper and lower halves; said vane segments and blade rings being separable into generally equally segmented arcuate semi-annular arrays, each semi-annular array having one of said arcuate support segments at each respective end thereof, said arcuate support segments at each end of each semi-annular array being fixedly attached to said inner casing by a locking plate.