Patent ID: 8904636

Claim:
A method of fabricating an integrally bladed rotor of a gas turbine engine, the integrally bladed rotor including a hub with an array of airfoil blades welded to the hub, each of the airfoil blades having respective positions of nominal aerodynamic-functional surfaces of each blade with respect to the hub, aerodynamic-functional surfaces of the blades directing a fluid flow during engine operation, the method comprising: a) selecting an entire finished aerodynamic-functional surface of the respective blades as a reference surface for positioning the respective blades in a welding process; b) positioning the respective blades onto the hub based on one requirement in which a position of the selected reference surface of the respective blades on the hub is defined in accordance with design data of only one corresponding entire nominal aerodynamic-functional surface of the integrally bladed rotor; and c) welding the respectively positioned blades to the hub.