Bladed centrifugal blasting wheel

Abstract

A centrifugal blasting wheel includes a pair of front and back wheel plates interconnected in spaced parallel relationship. Each wheel plate has a central opening defined by an annular surface of constant diameter. These plates are provided with respective cross-wise aligned grooves in their inner faces extending radially in equally circumferentially spaced relationship from the inner annular surfaces of the plates to the outer annular surfaces thereof and opening into each of the annular surfaces. A blade is removably mounted between each pair of aligned grooves. Each blade has a body generally in the form of a parallelepiped with an inner and an outer end and side flanges to define a blade of I-shape in transverse cross-section. Each blade has at least one retaining lug extending laterally from one of the side flanges and being substantially closer to the inner end of the blade body than the outer end thereof. Each such lug is provided with a curved, non-planar, smooth and uninterrupted abutment surface arranged to be in substantial co-extensive engagement with a portion of the inner annular surface of the adjacent wheel plate when the blade is operatively positioned between a pair of the grooves. This mounting arrangement minimizes development of stress concentrations between the lug and the adjacent wheel plate. The abutment surfaces are configured so that radial forces only are transferred from the lug to the adjacent wheel plate.