Patent ID: 8899933

Claim:
A blade mounting system comprising: a blade including a bucket dovetail, the bucket dovetail including a blade hook portion; a wheel dovetail groove formed in a rotor, the wheel dovetail groove having a shape complementary to a shape of the bucket dovetail and including an assembly gate, wherein the wheel dovetail groove includes a substantially circumferential groove in the rotor, a wheel hook portion configured to accommodate the blade hook portion of the bucket dovetail, opposed wheel neck shoulders formed in the groove so as to form a gap narrower than an opening of the groove and to engage the bucket dovetail blade hook portion, and opposed upper recessed areas at the opening of the groove, the assembly gate being a widened portion of the upper recessed areas; and the bucket dovetail being configured to have a first orientation in which the blade hook portion will fit through the assembly gate and a second orientation in which the blade hook portion is retained by the wheel dovetail groove, the bucket dovetail further being configured so that it may rotate between the first orientation and the second orientation at the assembly gate and be restrained against rotation at other locations in the wheel dovetail groove.