Airfoil and method for managing pressure at tip of airfoil

A rotor blade comprising:

• a dovetail operatively configured to connect to a rotor wheel;
• and,
• an airfoil including:
• a squealer tip at an outer radial end of the airfoil, a squealer tip pocket of the squealer tip having a convex side and a concave side;
• a tip plate at the squealer tip;
• a divider that extends across the tip plate from the concave side to the convex side to divide the squealer tip pocket into a first pocket and a second pocket;
• and,
• at least one cooling passage through the tip plate in the second pocket to provide fluid communication through the tip plate from an interior of the airfoil to the second pocket;
• wherein the first pocket is fluidically disconnected from the interior of the airfoil.

A method of managing pressure at a tip of an airfoil, the method comprising:

• placing a divider across a tip plate in a squealer tip pocket of the airfoil from a concave side to a convex side of the tip to divide the tip pocket into a first pocket and a second pocket;
• fluidically blocking an interior of the airfoil from the first pocket;
• and,
• fluidically connecting at least one cooling passage through the tip plate in the second pocket to provide fluid communication through the tip plate from an interior of the airfoil to the second pocket.