Anti-rotation feature for a turbine rotor faceplate

Claim 2

An air cooled, rotating turbine stage assembly, comprising: a turbine rotor disk including a plurality of circumferentially shouldered slots disposed about the outer periphery thereof; a plurality of turbine blades, each including a radially inwardly disposed attachment portion, the attachment portion being slidably receivable within a corresponding disk shouldered slot for engaging the blade and the disk; a faceplate axially secured to the disk by a plurality of cooperating hooked members extending axially between the faceplate and the disk, the disk and faceplate cooperatively defining a plurality of closed airflow paths intermediate the hooked members for directing an annular flow of compressed cooling air radially outward to the internal airflow passages of the blades; a plurality of tabs, each integral with a corresponding turbine blade and extending axially therefrom, the tab being receivable within a corresponding recess in the faceplate when the faceplate and disk are in a desired relative angular orientation; a plurality of support lugs extending axially in opposite directions between the faceplate and the disk, the corresponding lugs contacting radially for transferring rotationally induced radial forces from the faceplate to the disk; and wherein each engaged hooked member, faceplate recess, shouldered slot, and blade tab is disposed along one of a plurality of angularly uniformly spaced radial lines with each other corresponding engaged hooked member, faceplate recess, shouldered slot, and tab, thereby distributing rotationally induced forces throughout the disk.

Claim 3

An axial flow gas turbine engine having a turbine stage including a rotor disk, a plurality of turbine blades, each blade including an attachment portion slidably receivable in a corresponding slot disposed in the periphery of the rotor disk, said attachment portion being fully slidably received within said corresponding shoulder only when an axially extending tab, integral with each corresponding turbine blade, is received within a recess formed in an annular faceplate disposed axially adjacent the disk, means for axially securing the faceplate to the disk responsive to relative angular movement therebetween, the faceplate and the rotor disk forming a manifold therebetween for conducting an axially flowing annular stream of compressed cooling air radially outward into cooling passages disposed within each turbine blade, the axially securing means further including a plurality of axially extending hooked members, the hooked members being engageable and releaseable responsive to the relative angular movement between the faceplate and the rotor disk, the engaged hooked members each further being radially colinear with said corresponding shouldered slots for distributing any transferred, rotationally induced, radial forces from the faceplate to the rotor disk.

Claim 4

An axial flow gas turbine engine having a turbine stage including a rotor disk, a plurality of turbine blades, each blade including an attachment portion slidably receivable in a corresponding slot disposed in the periphery of the rotor disk, said attachment portion being fully slidably received within said corresponding shoulder only when an axially extending tab, integral with each corresponding turbine blade, is received within a recess formed in an annular faceplate disposed axially adjacent the disk, means for axially securing the faceplate to the disk responsive to relative angular movement therebetween, the faceplate and the rotor disk forming a manifold therebetween for conducting an axially flowing annular stream of compressed cooling air radially outward into cooling passages disposed within each turbine blade, the axially securing means further including a plurality of axially extending hooked members, the hooked members being engageable and releaseable responsive to the relative angular movement between the faceplate and the rotor disk, the engaged hooked members each further being radially colinear with said corresponding shouldered slots for distributing any transferred, rotationally induced, radial forces from the faceplate to the rotor disk.

Claim 5

The improved rotor assembly as recited in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of corresponding axially extending support lugs disposed in the faceplate and the disk, the corresponding lugs being radially engaged for transferring rotationally induced radial forces from the faceplate to the rotor disk when the hooked members are engaged, and wherein each corresponding hooked member support lug, tab, faceplate recess, and disk slot are disposed along a corresponding radial line for providing a direct radial airflow path for the cooling air intermediate adjacent corresponding radial lines.

Claim 6

A bladed rotor stage for an axial flow gas turbine engine, comprising: a disk having a peripheral rim; a plurality of axial slots disposed about the disk rim, each slot including a radially inward facing shoulder; a plurality of rotor blades, each blade having an attachment portion axially slidably receivable within a corresponding slot, each blade further including an internal cooling airflow passage for receiving cooling air at the attachment portion for distribution within the blade; an annular faceplate, disposed axially spaced apart from the disk and defining therewith a cooling air manifold for distributing a flow of compressed cooling air radially outward into the cooling airflow passages of the blades; a plurality of angularly spaced, cooperative, hooked axial projections, disposed in the faceplate and the disk, the hooked projections being responsive to relative rotation of the faceplate and the disk between a first, unengaged relative angular position and a second, engaged relative position; a plurality of axially projecting tabs, each secured to an attachment portion of an individual blade; a plurality of individual recesses disposed in the faceplate, each recess opening axially for receiving a corresponding projecting tab therewithin, the recesses being oriented for receiving the tabs therewithin only when the disk and faceplate are in the second, engaged relative angular position; a plurality of corresponding support lugs, disposed in the faceplate and the disk and extending axially therebetween, the corresponding faceplate support lugs radially outwardly contacting the corresponding disk support lugs when the faceplate and disk are in the second, engaged relative angular position; and wherein each corresponding engaged hooked member, engaged support member, faceplate recess, tab, axial slot, and blade attachment portion are radially aligned when the faceplate and disk are in the second, engaged relative angular positon.

Claim 7

A bladed rotor stage for an axial flow gas turbine engine, comprising: a disk having a peripheral rim; a plurality of axial slots disposed about the disk rim, each slot including a radially inward facing shoulder; a plurality of rotor blades, each blade having an attachment portion axially slidably receivable within a corresponding slot, each blade further including an internal cooling airflow passage for receiving cooling air at the attachment portion for distribution within the blade; an annular faceplate, disposed axially spaced apart from the disk and defining therewith a cooling air manifold for distributing a flow of compressed cooling air radially outward into the cooling airflow passages of the blades; a plurality of angularly spaced, cooperative, hooked axial projections, disposed in the faceplate and the disk, the hooked projections being responsive to relative rotation of the faceplate and the disk between a first, unengaged relative angular position and a second, engaged relative position; a plurality of axially projecting tabs, each secured to an attachment portion of an individual blade; a plurality of individual recesses disposed in the faceplate, each recess opening axially for receiving a corresponding projecting tab therewithin, the recesses being oriented for receiving the tabs therewithin only when the disk and faceplate are in the second, engaged relative angular position; a plurality of corresponding support lugs, disposed in the faceplate and the disk and extending axially therebetween, the corresponding faceplate support lugs radially outwardly contacting the corresponding disk support lugs when the faceplate and disk are in the second, engaged relative angular position; and wherein each corresponding engaged hooked member, engaged support member, faceplate recess, tab, axial slot, and blade attachment portion are radially aligned when the faceplate and disk are in the second, engaged relative angular positon.