Locking arrangement for radial entry turbine blades

A rotating element for a turbo-machine comprising:

• a generally disk shaped member comprising a circumference;
• a radial attachment shape formed along the circumference for locating a plurality of radial entry blades in a row;
• and
• an axial slot formed at a radial blade entry location of the circumference and comprising an axial attachment shape for receiving a closing blade and for securing the closing blade during operation of the turbo-machine.

A closing blade group for a row of radial entry turbine blades having curved root/platform faces, the group comprising:

• a closing blade comprising an airfoil portion, a platform portion comprising a pair of opposed flat faces, and a root portion comprising an axial attachment shape complementary to an axial attachment shape formed in a rotor at an entering slot location;
• a preceding blade comprising an airfoil portion, a platform portion comprising a curved face for abutting an adjacent radial entry blade and an opposed flat face for abutting a first of the flat faces of the closing blade, and a root portion comprising a first radial attachment shape complementary to a second radial attachment shape formed about a circumference of the rotor;
• and
• a following blade comprising an airfoil portion, a platform portion comprising a flat face for abutting a second of the flat faces of the closing blade and an opposed curved face for abutting an adjacent radial entry blade, and a root portion comprising the first radial attachment shape.

A method of securing a row of radial entry blades onto a turbine rotor disk, the method comprising:

• forming a first radial attachment shape along a circumference of the rotor disk;
• forming an entering slot location on the circumference of the rotor disk;
• forming a first axial attachment shape at the entering slot location;
• installing onto the circumference of the rotor disk via the entering slot location a plurality of radial entry blades comprising a second radial attachment shape complementary to and engaged with the first radial attachment shape;
• and
• installing at the entering slot location an axial entry closing blade comprising a second axial attachment shape complementary to and engaged with the first axial attachment shape.