Patent ID: 7210899

Claim:
A process of passively controlling a blade gap between a tip shroud and a rotor blade in a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine comprising a support ring secured to an engine casing, a plurality of retainer and shroud assemblies secured to the support ring and forming a segment gap between adjacent shroud segments, and a rotor blade having a tip forming the blade gap between an inner surface of the shroud segment, the process comprising the steps of: providing for the support ring to be made from a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion less than the material of the retainer and shroud assembly; providing for a slot member in one of the support ring or the retainer/shroud assembly to allow for a radial movement of the retainer/shroud assembly with respect to the support ring; and, providing for the segment gap and the slot member to be of such lengths that the blade gap remains substantially the same during a take-off mode, a reduced power mode, and a steady state mode of operating the gas turbine engine.