Patent ID: 7247000

Claim:
A shield apparatus for disposal between two adjacent blades of an impeller during a weld repair process, each blade extending radially outwardly from and axially along a shaft and including a first and a second side joined together by a forward edge, an aft edge, and a side edge extending therebetween, the first and second sides each having a predetermined contour, the shield apparatus comprising: a forward end wall configured to extend and have a width substantially equal to a space between the forward edges of the two adjacent blades; an aft end wall configured to extend and have a width substantially equal to a space between the aft edges of the two adjacent blades; a first and a second side wall each extending between the forward and aft end walls, the first and second side walls each corresponding to and contoured to substantially mate with the predetermined contour of the corresponding first and second sides of the first and second blades, respectively; and a top wall extending between the first and second side walls and having a width that is substantially equal to a width between the side edges of the two adjacent blades, wherein a valley is defined between the two adjacent blades and the shield apparatus is sized larger than the valley.