Transfer of turbine blades to rotor wheel

A fixture for transferring a plurality of turbine blades, each having a dovetail, into a rotor wheel of a turbomachine, the rotor wheel including a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotor wheel dovetail slots, the fixture comprising:

• a first body having an arcuate radially inward surface shaped to contact a rotor of the turbomachine, and a radially outward surface including a plurality of first body dovetail slots therein shaped to engage the dovetails of the plurality of turbine blades;
• a first alignment aperture extending axially through the first body relative to a centerline axis of the turbomachine, and positioned for alignment with a portion of the rotor wheel such that the plurality of first body dovetail slots are substantially axially aligned with the plurality of rotor wheel dovetail slots for at least partial transfer of the turbine blade thereto from the fixture, wherein the dovetails of the plurality of turbine blades are slidably removable from the plurality of first body dovetail slots for guided insertion into the plurality of rotor wheel dovetail slots;
• an axial member coupled to a sidewall of the first body;
• a second body axially displaced from the first body, the second body coupled to the axial member such that the axial member extends between the first and second bodies, the second body having an arcuate radially inward surface shaped to contact the rotor of the turbomachine, and an arcuate radially outward surface including a plurality of second body dovetail slots therein shaped to engage the dovetails of the plurality of turbine blades;
• and
• a second alignment aperture extending axially through the second body, and substantially axially aligned with the first alignment aperture and the portion of the rotor wheel.