General Electric Company

John Clifton Williams

Dennis William Roberts

Stephen G Ruggles

David Alan Caruso

Kiernan Francis Ryan

Cuong V Dinh

William James Sumner

Kenneth Elmer Robbins

Joseph Mark Serafini

Stephen K Tung

Dan Duncan

Joseph Michael Pelech

A method of reducing the formation of burrs during machining of turbine bucket covers of a turbine assembly includes the steps of inserting a filler material in a gap formed between adjacent bucket covers of a turbine assembly, machining the bucket covers to produce a desired profile for the bucket covers, and removing the filler material.

Method of reducing burr formation during turbine bucket cover machining

An assembly jig is provided for pre-twisting or rotating the closure blade prior to driving the closure blade into the notch opening at the completion of bucket assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the assembly jig is composed of three clamp assemblies, each mounted to the integral cover of the circumferentially adjacent buckets of the notch group. Each clamp assembly includes first and second axially aligned clamp brackets that are clamped the respective integral cover. The closure blade is pre-twisted or rotated by adjusting the gaps between the adjacent clamp brackets and hence the gaps between the axial ends of the closure blade cover and the axial ends of the adjacent auxiliary bucket cover(s) respectively clamped thereto. The force necessary to rotate the closure blade cover may be generated with jacking bolts that extend generally tangentially of the row of buckets, between the adjacent clamp brackets.

Assembly jig for use with integrally covered bucket blades

A next-to-the-last stage steam turbine bucket has a profile according to the table set forth in the specification. The buckets also include continuous couplings at the bucket mid-point including nubs on each bucket projecting from opposite sides thereof in generally circumferentially extending directions. A sleeve is disposed between each pair of adjacent buckets and has open opposite ends for receiving the nubs of the adjacent buckets. The cross-sections of the nubs and open ends of the sleeve are generally complementary and non-circular to prevent sleeve rotation during turbine operation. The buckets have a continuous cover including cover elements having tenons projecting from opposite sides for reception in corresponding openings in the tips of adjacent buckets.

Bucket for next-to-the-last stage of a turbine

In a steam turbine cover (18) for an axial flow steam turbine including a rotor (14), an annular row of radially extending blades (12) carried by the rotor, each blade having a leading edge (150 or 250), a trailing edge and a radial tip, at least one moisture removal groove (146 or 246) extending radially along the blade adjacent the leading edge (150 or 250), and an annular cover assembly coupling the radial tips of the annular row of blades, there is provided a plurality of circumferentially spaced, axially extending notches (158, 160 or 260) formed in the annular entrance edge (134 or 234) of the cover assembly, one notch for each blade, the notch radially exposing the leading edge and moisture removal groove of each such blade.

Rotor blade cover adapted to facilitate moisture removal

A stage of an axial flow turbine includes a plurality of spaced apart buckets and a plurality of spaced apart nozzle partitions, each plurality respectively circumferentially aligned about and axially spaced from each other along a rotor of the turbine. The nozzle partitions are circumferentially spaced such that a minimum throat extends a predetermined radial distance from the root, thereby forming a converging-diverging flow passageway between nozzle partitions. The trailing edge of the nozzle partitions are disposed to include axial and tangential lean with respect to the rotor. Buckets include a plurality of covers respectively connecting the tips and having a single outward radially extending sealing rib on the radially outer surface of each cover, wherein each rib is tangentially aligned with respective adjacent ribs. Buckets are overtwisted to compensate for untwist at operational speed to achieve optimum efficiency. Buckets are circumferentially spaced to provide a converging-diverging channel therebetween and include lashing for providing mechanical coupling at operational speed.

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Schenectady, NY, United States of America

John Clifton Williams