Patent ID: 8297935

Claim:
A method of forming a modified turbine blade for use in an engine, the method comprising the steps of: providing an unmodified blade configuration including a platform and an airfoil extending from the platform, the platform including a surface defining a portion of a flowpath of the engine; subjecting the unmodified blade configuration to one or more maximum engine operating conditions, wherein the one or more maximum engine operating conditions include rotating a turbine rotor including the unmodified blade configuration thereon at a predetermined maximum speed and exposing the turbine rotor to a predetermined maximum temperature; performing a plastic analysis of the unmodified blade configuration, while the unmodified blade configuration is subjected to the one or more maximum engine operating conditions; calculating a residual plastic deformation of the platform surface, based on the plastic analysis; determining whether the residual plastic deformation of the platform surface is within a predetermined acceptable range; determining an inverse of the residual plastic deformation of the platform surface, if a determination is made that the residual plastic deformation of the platform surface is within the predetermined acceptable range; and incorporating the inverse of the residual plastic deformation of the platform surface into the unmodified blade configuration to form the modified blade configuration.