Patent ID: 7108480

Claim:
A method for assembling a gas turbine rotor comprises: providing a gas turbine rotor including a plurality of turbine blades, wherein at least one turbine blade includes a blade tip shroud that extends from a leading edge to an opposite trailing edge that is opposite the leading edge; and providing a balance clip including: a first portion having a first length that enables the clip to extend between the tip shroud leading and trailing edges and includes a first hook that is configured to couple to the tip shroud leading edge; a second portion having a second length that is shorter than the first length, such that the second portion extends only partially from one of the tip shroud trailing and leading edges towards the opposite shroud edge; and a second hook that extends between the first and second portions and is configured to couple to one of the tip shroud leading and trailing edges, wherein the first portion includes a first tab, and the second portion includes a second tab that extends from a free end of the second portion; and coupling the balance clip to the at least one turbine blade tip shroud such that the first and second tabs are positioned to retain the balance clip in position substantially circumferentially around an outer periphery of an airfoil extending from the tip shroud.