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US 6,190,131 B1Granted
Non-integral balanced coverplate and coverplate centering slot for a turbine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRobert Edward Deallenbach
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRobert Edward Deallenbach
Estimating the term…
Coverplates are disposed to axially overlie end faces of the shanks of buckets and the dovetail connections of the buckets within turbine wheel slots. The coverplates have axially projecting angel wing seals. The coverplates also have balance weights on axial faces thereof opposite the angel wing seals to balance out any bending moments applied to the coverplate resulting from centrifugal forces when the turbine rotor is at speed. Thus, the centers of gravity of the coverplates are located close to or in the plane of the coverplates. A centering slot is provided along an inner face of each dovetail connection for the coverplates. Coverplate retention pins reside in wide sub-slots at the bases of the wheel slots. When the coverplates are secured against axial movement, the retention pins engage in the centering slots of the coverplate dovetails to prevent circumferential movement of the retention pins in the wide sub-slots.
A coverplate axially overlying portions of a turbine bucket secured to a turbine wheel, comprising:
In a turbine having a turbine wheel rotatable about an axis and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots receiving generally complementary-shaped end portions of turbine buckets, said buckets including shanks intermediate said end portions, a platform, and turbine blades, a circumferential array of coverplates axially overlying shanks and said end portions of said buckets, each said coverplate having an end portion thereof generally complementary in shape to said slot for reception in said slot, an arcuate flange projecting from one end face of each said coverplate at a location radially outwardly of said coverplate end portion and in a generally axial direction for forming a seal with adjacent coverplates, an opposite end portion of each said coverplate engaging said platform to retain said opposite end portion against axial movement relative to the bucket and at least one balance weight projecting from an opposite end face of each said coverplate and in a generally opposite axial direction from said flange to provide a counterbalance to the flange when the coverplate is subjected to centrifugal forces upon rotation of the turbine wheel.
In a turbine wheel rotatable about an axis and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots receiving generally complementary-shaped end portions of turbine buckets, a circumferential array of coverplates axially overlying end portions of said buckets received in said slots and one axial face of said wheel, said coverplates having end portions thereof generally complementary in shape to said slots for reception in said slots, each said coverplate having an arcuate flange projecting from one end face thereof at a location radially outwardly of said coverplate end portion and in a generally axial direction away from said wheel for forming a seal with flanges of adjacent coverplates;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.