Compressor rotor blade spacer apparatus

A rotor wheel assembly for a compressor of a turbine engine, said rotor wheel assembly, comprising:

• a rotor wheel having a plurality of slots in the periphery thereof;
• a plurality of spacer cartridges each having a blade retaining cavity, and a slot engaging portion for thermal sealing engagement with the slots, said spacer cartridges assembled in the slots;
• and
• a plurality of rotor blades corresponding to the number of blade retaining cavities, each of said rotor blades being engaged in one of said blade retaining cavities and maintained in spaced relation from neighboring rotor blades;
• wherein each spacer cartridge includes an outer surface being substantially flush with a peripheral surface of the rotor wheel and opposing free surfaces located at longitudinal ends of each spacer cartridge.

A rotor wheel assembly for a compressor of a turbine engine, said rotor wheel assembly, comprising:

• a rotor wheel having a plurality of slots in the periphery thereof;
• a plurality of spacer cartridges each having a blade retaining cavity, and a slot engaging portion for engagement with the slots, said spacer cartridges assembled in the slots;
• and
• a plurality of rotor blades corresponding to the number of blade retaining cavities, each of said rotor blades being engaged in one of said blade retaining cavities and maintained in spaced relation from neighboring rotor blades;
• wherein the slot engaging portion includes a rounded geometry formed by a radius of curvature mating between an inner surface of the corresponding slots, a dovetail portion of each rotor blade includes a flat bottom geometry, and each spacer cartridge includes an outer surface being substantially flush with a peripheral surface of the rotor wheel and opposing free surfaces located at longitudinal ends of each spacer cartridge.

A compressor assembly for a turbine engine, comprising:

• a plurality of rotor wheels having a plurality of slots formed in the periphery thereof;
• a plurality of rotor blades, each rotor blade having a rotor blade tip and a dovetail portion;
• and
• a plurality of integral cartridges having a cavity portion retaining the dovetail portion of each of the rotor blades mounted therein, the integral cartridges having a dovetail component being mounted in the slots of the periphery of the rotor wheel for maintaining a spaced relationship between adjacent rotor blades and the dovetail component for making substantial fluid sealing engagement with said slots.