Methods of assembling airfoils to turbine components and assemblies thereof

In a turbine having an arcuate groove forming a generally dovetail shape in a circumferential direction forming part of a rotatable rotor or a stationary carrier and a plurality of airfoils each having a base generally complementary in shape to said dovetail-shaped groove and wherein the airfoil bases are slidable circumferentially along the groove with a radial clearance for stacking the airfoils in an arcuate array upon installation thereof in said groove, a method of finally radially positioning the airfoils relative to the groove, comprising the steps of:

• (a) displacing an airfoil by sliding the airfoil base along the groove to a substantially final circumferential location within the groove;
• (b) inserting a retaining element between the bottom of the groove and a bottom of the base of the airfoil to displace the airfoil in a generally radial direction into a final radial position relative to the groove;
• (c) sliding bases of a plurality of airfoils along the groove to a substantially final circumferential location of the airfoils about the groove, subsequent to displacing each airfoil into said location and prior to displacing a next airfoil into a corresponding final location, driving the retaining element in a generally circumferential direction between the airfoil base and the bottom of the groove to locate the airfoil in a final radial position, upon locating a majority of the airfoils about the groove in final radial positions, sequentially sliding bases of remaining airfoils along the groove and driving a tool in a generally off-radial direction to drive the retaining elements in a generally circumferential direction between the airfoil bases of the remaining airfoils and the bottom of the groove into final radial position until installation is complete;
• and
• (d) wherein the steps of driving the elements in generally circumferential and generally radial directions are performed by applying first and second tools, respectively, different from one another, said first tool including a straight punch having a first head and a second tool having an angled second head, and including the steps of engaging said first head against said element and driving the first tool and element engaged thereby in a generally circumferential direction by hammering on an opposite end of the first tool from the first head, and engaging the angled end of the second tool in the recess and driving the second tool in a generally radial direction by hammering on an opposite end of the second tool from said second head to drive the element in a circumferential direction.