Near-flow-path seal isolation dovetail
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMatthew Robert PIERSALL, Brian Denver POTTER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A turbine bucket includes an airfoil portion; a platform at radially inner end of the airfoil portion; a shank portion extending radially-inwardly of the platform; and a mounting portion extending radially-inwardly of the shank portion. The shank portion and the mounting portion have at least one axially-extending seal-engaging surface formed as part of a separable, non-integral isolation element that isolates the bucket from forces caused by a near-flow-path seal engaging the at least one axially-extending seal-engaging surface.
Claims20
A turbine bucket comprising:
- an airfoil portion;
- a platform radially-inward of the airfoil portion;
- a shank portion radially-inward of the platform;
- a mounting portion radially-inward of the shank portion;
- and
- wherein the shank portion has at least one axially-extending near-flow-path seal-engaging surface, said near-flow-path seal-engaging surface and part of said mounting portion forming an isolation element separable from said turbine bucket.
A turbine rotor assembly comprising at least two rotor disks with a spacer disk axially therebetween, each rotor disk provided with an annular row of buckets each bucket comprising:
- an airfoil portion;
- a platform radially-inward of the airfoil portion;
- a shank portion radially-inward of the platform;
- a mounting portion radially-inward of the shank portion;
- and
- wherein the shank portion has at least one near-flow-path seal-engaging surface, said near-flow-path seal-engaging surface and part of said mounting portion forming an isolation element separable from said turbine bucket.
A method for reducing centrifugal or axial loading on a turbine bucket caused by a near-flow-path seal-engaging with an adjacent surface portion formed on the bucket, comprising:
- a) removing material from the bucket including the adjacent surface portion to form a cut-out;
- and
- b) replacing the material with an isolation element fitted in said cut-out and engageable with said near-flow-path seal during operation of the turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.