Blade lock

Claim 2

A blade lock assembly for interconnecting a plurality of blades in a continuously formed circumferential retaining groove on a rotor wheel comprising: a wheel rim having a continuously formed circumferential groove with spaced sidewall ridges thereon, a loading slot formed in said rim having a width greater than that between said ridges, a forward flange and a rearward flange on said rim, a groove formed in each of said flanges below the outer peripheral surface of said flanges to form an indexing track fore and aft of said slot, each of said groove including an index surface thereon formed perpendicular to said groove, a plurality of airfoil blades, each of said blades including a root portion fit through said slot and slidable within said retaining groove to be interlocked to said rim, each of said blades having a platform with an underside slidably supported on said wheel rim and with spaced parallel side edges thereon engageable with side edges on adjacent blades to form a continuous aerodynamic flow surface fore and aft across the periphery of the rotor, each blade root being circumferentially spaced from an adjacent root when the blades are retained in said groove, a locking blade having a root insertable through said slot and a platform with side edges thereon engageable with side edges of adjacent platforms to space the root of said locking blade with respect to roots on adjacent blades, said locking blade including lugs on the underside of its platform located fore and aft of said locking blade root, said lugs being supported in said groove and engageable with said index surface to locate the root of said locking blade in said groove to one side of said loading slot while positioning the root on an adjacent airfoil blade in said groove on the opposite side of said loading slot with platform segments of said locking blade and an adjacent airfoil blade closing said slot, said locking blade platform including a side cutout therein, one of said groove ridges having a lock notch therein at a location spaced circumferentially from said loading slot to be aligned with said blade cutout when said locking blade is in its index position, and sheet metal spacer means located in said groove between said locking blade root and an adjacent airfoil blade root, means on said spacer element accessible through said cutout and deformable into interlocked relationship with said rim when the locking blade is in its indexed position for locking each of said blades in an index circumferential position wherein each of the roots therein are locked against circumferential movement into alignment with said loading slots.

Claim 3

In a turbomachine rotor assembly of the type including a wheel rim having a continuously formed circumferential blade retaining groove with a loading slot to receive individual blade root portions configured to slidably fit into the groove in interlocked relationship therewith the improvement comprising: an arcuate wheel rim surface with a pair of spaced surfaces formed thereon below the outer peripheral surface of the wheel rim on either side of the loading slot, each of said surfaces having a flat index surface thereon spaced circumferentially of said loading slot and extending generally perpendicularly of the retaining groove, a notch in the sidewall of the retaining groove spaced circumferentially of said index surface, each air foil blade having blade platforms with a circumferential dimension greater than the circumferential dimension of the loading slot, said rim having fore and aft portions thereon supportingly receiving the underside of each of said blade platforms, each of said blade platforms having side edges engageable with those of adjacent platforms to define a continuous aerodynamic flow surface fore and aft across the outer periphery of the rotor when the blades are inserted in the retaining groove, each of said blade roots being circumferentially spaced from one another when the blades are retained in the groove, a locking blade having a platform with a side cutout therein, a locking blade root interlocked in the groove and a pair of lugs dependent from said locking blade platform and supported on each of said spaced apart surfaces when the locking blade is located in the loading slot, said lugs being engageable with said index surfaces to locate said locking blade in a circumferentially indexed position within the retaining groove, a spacer and lock element having a pair of legs interconnected by a bight portion, each of said legs being shaped to conform with the surfaces of the retaining groove and being located between the root of the locking blade and a root of a next adjacent blade when the locking blade is in its indeXed position, said lock element having a side tab thereon positioned in alignment with said lock notch and said side cutout when the locking blade is in its indexed position and deformable into interlocked relationship with said notch by insertion of a tool through said cutout thereby to lock each of the blades retained in the groove against circumferential movement with respect thereto, said locking blade cooperating with another adjacent blade when in its index position to space a blade root on either side of the loading slot and to locate the platform of said locking blade and the other adjacent blade platform to cover the loading slot when the blades are in their locked indexed circumferential position on the wheel rim.

Claim 4

In a turbomachine rotor assembly of the type including a wheel rim having a continuously formed circumferential blade retaining groove with a loading slot to receive individual blade root portions configured to slidably fit into the groove in interlocked relationship therewith the improvement comprising: an arcuate wheel rim surface with a pair of spaced surfaces formed thereon below the outer peripheral surface of the wheel rim on either side of the loading slot, each of said surfaces having a flat index surface thereon spaced circumferentially of said loading slot and extending generally perpendicularly of the retaining groove, a notch in the sidewall of the retaining groove spaced circumferentially of said index surface, each air foil blade having blade platforms with a circumferential dimension greater than the circumferential dimension of the loading slot, said rim having fore and aft portions thereon supportingly receiving the underside of each of said blade platforms, each of said blade platforms having side edges engageable with those of adjacent platforms to define a continuous aerodynamic flow surface fore and aft across the outer periphery of the rotor when the blades are inserted in the retaining groove, each of said blade roots being circumferentially spaced from one another when the blades are retained in the groove, a locking blade having a platform with a side cutout therein, a locking blade root interlocked in the groove and a pair of lugs dependent from said locking blade platform and supported on each of said spaced apart surfaces when the locking blade is located in the loading slot, said lugs being engageable with said index surfaces to locate said locking blade in a circumferentially indexed position within the retaining groove, a spacer and lock element having a pair of legs interconnected by a bight portion, each of said legs being shaped to conform with the surfaces of the retaining groove and being located between the root of the locking blade and a root of a next adjacent blade when the locking blade is in its indeXed position, said lock element having a side tab thereon positioned in alignment with said lock notch and said side cutout when the locking blade is in its indexed position and deformable into interlocked relationship with said notch by insertion of a tool through said cutout thereby to lock each of the blades retained in the groove against circumferential movement with respect thereto, said locking blade cooperating with another adjacent blade when in its index position to space a blade root on either side of the loading slot and to locate the platform of said locking blade and the other adjacent blade platform to cover the loading slot when the blades are in their locked indexed circumferential position on the wheel rim.