Fixture for clamping a gas turbine component and its use in shaping the gas turbine component
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDaniel Edward Jones, Jacques Juneau JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A turbine component such as a turbine blade is clamped into a fixture having a base upon which a remainder of the fixture is supported and a stop which limits the movement of the turbine component. The fixture further has two clamp arms affixed to the base and which controllably clamp against one pair of the pressure surfaces of the root to force the turbine component against the stop, which preferably is contacted by another pair of the pressure surfaces of the root. When the turbine component is clamped in this position, its root may be readily shaped as by grinding.
Claims18
A fixture used with a turbine component having a component longitudinal axis and comprising a root having a root surface including a first pair of first pressure surfaces on either side of the component longitudinal axis and oriented at a first angle to the component longitudinal axis, a second pair of second pressure surfaces on either side of the component longitudinal axis and oriented at a second angle to the component longitudinal axis, and a tang at an end of the root, the fixture comprising
- a base upon which a remainder of the fixture is supported;
- a stop which prevents the turbine component from moving past a stop limit when the turbine component is forced in a clamping direction parallel to the component longitudinal axis;
- two clamp arms, a first clamp arm being on a leading-edge side of the turbine component with a first clamp surface facing the turbine component, and a second clamp arm being on a trailing-edge side of the turbine component with a second clamp surface facing the turbine component, each clamp arm being movable between a released position in which its clamp surface does not contact one of the pressure surfaces and a clamped position in which its clamp surface contacts one of the pressure surfaces and forces the turbine component in the clamping direction and against the stop;
- and
- a clamping force source that controllably moves each of the clamp arms between the released position and the clamped position.
A fixture used with a gas turbine blade having a component longitudinal axis and comprising a root having a root surface including a first pair of first pressure surfaces on either side of the component longitudinal axis and oriented at an acute angle to the component longitudinal axis, a second pair of second pressure surfaces on either side of the component longitudinal axis and oriented at an obtuse angle to the component longitudinal axis, and a tang at an end of the root, the fixture comprising
- a base upon which a remainder of the fixture is supported;
- a pair of stop shoulders which engage the respective first pair of first pressure surfaces and prevent the turbine blade from moving past a stop limit when the turbine component is forced in a clamping direction parallel to the component longitudinal axis and extending from the root toward the airfoil;
- two pivotable clamp arms, a first clamp arm being on a leading-edge side of the turbine blade with a first clamp surface facing the turbine blade, and a second clamp arm being on a trailing-edge side of the turbine blade with a second clamp surface facing the turbine blade, each clamp arm being pivotable between a released position in which its clamp surface does not contact one of the second pair of second pressure surfaces and a clamped position in which its clamp surface contacts one of the second pair of second pressure surfaces and forces the turbine blade in the clamping direction and against the pair of stop shoulders;
- and
- a pair of hydraulic cylinders, one of the hydraulic cylinders controllably moving each of the clamp arms between the released position and the clamped position.
A method for shaping a turbine component, comprising the steps of
- furnishing the turbine component having a component longitudinal axis and comprising a root having a root surface including a first pair of first pressure surfaces on either side of the component longitudinal axis and oriented at an acute angle to the component longitudinal axis, a second pair of second pressure surfaces on either side of the component longitudinal axis and oriented at an obtuse angle to the component longitudinal axis, and a tang at an end of the root;
- furnishing a fixture comprising
- a base upon which a remainder of the fixture is supported,
- a stop which prevents the turbine component from moving past a stop limit when the turbine component is forced in a clamping direction parallel to the component longitudinal axis,
- two clamp arms, a first clamp arm being on a leading-edge side of the turbine component with a first clamp surface facing the turbine component, and a second clamp arm being on a trailing-edge side of the turbine component with a second clamp surface facing the turbine component, each clamp arm being movable between a released position in which its clamp surface does not contact one of the pressure surfaces and a clamped position in which its clamp surface contacts one of the pressure surfaces and forces the turbine component in the clamping direction and against the stop, and
- a clamping force source that controllably moves each of the clamp arms between the released position and the clamped position;
- clamping the turbine component in the fixture;
- and thereafter
- shaping the root of the turbine component while the turbine component is clamped into the fixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.