Patent ID: 8277189

Claim:
A turbine blade comprising: an elongate vane having a twisted configuration about a longitudinal axis, the elongate vane having a leading face and a trailing face; a base at a proximal end of the elongate vane, the base having: a substantially planar member substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the elongate vane; a protrusion at a trailing face of the planar member, the protrusion supporting a portion of the proximal end of the elongate vane extending beyond the planar member due to the twisted configuration; a relief at a leading face of the planar member, a shape of the relief being substantially complimentary to a shape of the protrusion; and a dovetail member on a surface of the planar member opposite the elongate vane, the dovetail member set nearer a leading face than the trailing face of the planar member; and a cover member at a distal end of the elongate vane, the cover member being substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the elongate vane and having a leading face and a trailing face, the shapes of the leading and trailing faces being substantially complimentary.