Apparatus for shortening the rotor blades of a turbomachine

An apparatus and a turbomachine, the apparatus configured for shortening at least one rotor blade of the turbomachine by grinding a blade tip of the at least one rotor blade of the turbomachine, the apparatus and the turbomachine comprising:

• a casing of the turbomachine;
• only one blade tip grinding device of the apparatus comprising only one grinding belt, only one contact roller, and only one tensioning roller, the only one grinding belt running around the only one contact roller and the only one tensioning roller, the blade tip grinding device being positioned at the casing;
• a rotor of the turbomachine, the rotor being installed in the casing, the rotor being configured for supporting rotor blades on the rotor and oriented for the blades to extend outwardly from the rotor, wherein each supported blade has a tip extending outwardly from the rotor so as to be ground by the grinding device;
• an opening into the casing formed by removing an upper half of the casing, the opening extending a distance around the rotor and a lower half of the casing to allow access by the grinding device to the tips of the rotor blades as the rotor blades on the rotor rotate past the opening in the casing and past the grinding device;
• a support surface of the lower half of the casing at the opening, the grinding device being supported on the lower half of the casing at the support surface of the lower half of the casing, the grinding device being positioned to cause the grinding device to extend to the tips of the rotor blades moving past the grinding device for causing the grinding device to grind the tips of the blades;
• an orienting device of the apparatus located and configured for orienting the rotor blade tips and the grinding device with respect to each other so that when the grinding device is grinding the tips rotating past, the grinding device grinds the tips of the rotor blades in a selected manner;
• and
• an attachment device of the apparatus configured to attach the blade tip grinding device at a location on the lower half of the casing at the opening in the casing so that the blade tips are rotated by the rotor past the grinding device at the opening in the casing for the grinding device to grind the blade tips,
• wherein each supported blade is ground by the grinding device while the rotor and the rotor blades remain installed in the casing of the turbomachine.