Patent ID: 7584538
Filing Date: 2009-09-08
Classification: B23P,F01D,F05D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of constructing a turbine blade for a gas turbine engine, the blade being of the type including an airfoil having first and second pressure and first and second suction spaced-apart sidewalls defining an interior void and joined at a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure and suctions sidewalls extending from a root to a tip cap and a squealer tip including at least one tip rib extending outwardly from the tip cap, the method comprising the steps of: (a) casting the blade, including the airfoil; (b) forming a plurality of spaced-apart notches in the airfoil proximate the tip on the pressure sidewall, wherein each notch is recessed with respect to the first sidewall to form a respective tip shelf, and further wherein each notch is defined by a top wall oblique with respect to a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the blade and oblique to the first and second spaced-apart sidewalls, and the respective tip shelves are perpendicular to a surface of the first and second spaced-apart airfoil sidewalls; and (c) forming at least one hole in each tip shelf communicating with the interior void of the airfoil for channeling cooling air from the interior void of the airfoil to thereby form a squealer tip.