General Electric Company

Robert Edward Athans

Brian Alan Norton

Robert Francis Manning

Robert John Beacock

Mark Douglas Gledhill

Omer D Erdmann

William Charles Herman

James Earl Kopriva

Harold Paul Rieck, Jr

Donald Brett DeSander

A method of fabricating a rotor blade is provided. The method includes forming at least one passageway within the rotor blade, wherein the passageway extends substantially radially from a root of the rotor blade to a tip of the rotor blade, and coupling a shroud to the tip of the rotor blade. The shroud includes at least one substantially radially-outward extending wall that at least partially defines an outer plenum that is radially outward from at least the shroud, wherein the outer plenum is in flow communication with the passageway.

Rotor blade and method of fabricating the same

A turbine blade includes an airfoil, platform, shank, and dovetail. The platform includes a first side disposed along the pressure side of the airfoil, and an opposite second side disposed along the airfoil suction side. The platform second side includes an integral damper keeper disposed below the midchord of the airfoil, and is locally thinner at the forward and aft ends of the platform second side for reducing blade weight.

Selectively thinned turbine blade

A turbine blade includes an airfoil, platform, shank, and dovetail. The shank includes opposite forward and aft faces corresponding with leading and trailing edges of the airfoil, and opposite first and second sides corresponding with pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. The shank further includes lugs extending outwardly from the two sides, with a first lug having an inverted skirt extending outwardly toward the platform to join the shank aft face. The skirt cooperates with a seal body when mounted in the engine for reducing inter-blade leakage.

Skirted turbine blade

A turbine for a gas turbine engine including a turbine nozzle assembly that facilitates reducing an operating temperature of rotor blades in a cost-effective and reliable manner is described. Each rotor blade includes a tip that rotates in close proximity to a shroud that extends circumferentially around the rotor assembly. The turbine nozzle assembly includes a plurality of turbine vane segments that channel combustion gases to downstream rotor blades. Each turbine vane segment extends radially outward from an inner platform and includes a tip, a root, and a body that extends therebetween. The turbine vane segment tip is formed integrally with an outer band that mounts the vane segments within the gas turbine engine. The outer band is in flow communication with a cooling fluid source, and includes at least one opening.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Robert Edward Athans