Patent ID: 8251667
Filing Date: 2012-08-28
Classification: F01D,F05D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A dovetail retaining system for circumferential entry rotor dovetails, comprising: a rotor having a rotor disk with forward and aft hoops defining a continuous circumferentially extending dovetail slot, said hoops defining a radially inward pressure face within said dovetail slot; a plurality of rotor blades, each of said rotor blades comprising a platform and a dovetail extending from said platform, said dovetail having a neck and a pair of oppositely oriented lobes, each said lobe defining an outward pressure face, said dovetail circumferentially slidable into and along said dovetail slot such that said plurality of rotor blades are circumferentially spaced around said rotor disk within said dovetail slot; a plurality of rail segments separate from said dovetails, each of said rail segments having a cross-sectional shape and arc length such that a pair of said rail segments circumferentially slide relative to said dovetails into channels in said dovetail slot between said dovetail lobes and said hoops, each of said rail segments defining a first pressure face that engages against said lobe outward pressure face, and a second pressure face that engages against said hoop inward pressure face.