Patent ID: 7874795

Claim:
A nozzle assembly for a turbine comprising: a nozzle blade having inner and outer sidewalls, and, in part, defining a flowpath upon assembly into the turbine; an outer ring; a flowsplitter having a horizontal extension; an interface between the outer ring and the outer sidewall having at least one of (i) a male/female interface or (ii) a radial interlock; and an interface between the horizontal extension and the inner sidewall having at least one of (i) the male/female interface or (ii) the radial interlock; wherein: the radial interlock comprises either a first male step projecting axially from the inner sidewall into the horizontal extension, the first male step being flanked on its most outwardly radial side by a second male step projecting axially from the horizontal extension into the inner sidewall, or a first male step projecting axially from the outer sidewall into the outer ring, the first mail step being flanked on its most inwardly radial side by a second male step projecting axially from the outer ring into the outer sidewall; the male/female interface comprises either a radial female recess on the outer sidewall that corresponds with a radial male step on the outer ring, or a radial female recess in the inner sidewall that corresponds to a radial male step on the horizontal extension; the interface between the outer ring and the outer sidewall comprises the male/female interface positioned at a trailing edge of the outer sidewall; the interface between the horizontal extension and the inner sidewall comprises the radial interlock positioned at a leading edge of the inner sidewall; the male/female interface positioned at the trailing edge of the outer sidewall is welded, the weld comprising a butt weld such that the weld is substantially limited to the area between the outer sidewall and the outer ring along the axial length of male/female interface; and the axial length of male/female interface positioned at the trailing edge of the outer sidewall is less than about ¼ of the axial extent of the registration between the outer ring and the outer sidewall.