Abstract: A wear-indicating system includes a wear-indicating mark applied to a portion of a surface edge margin of an internal component of a turbine. The wear-indicating mark is visually discernible from the surface edge margin through boroscopic inspection. An inner extent of the wear-indicating mark is spaced a pre-selected distance from the surface edge.

Abstract: A wear-indicating system includes a wear-indicating mark applied to a portion of a surface edge margin of an internal component of a turbine. The wear-indicating mark is visually discernible from the surface edge margin through boroscopic inspection. An inner extent of the wear-indicating mark is spaced a pre-selected distance from the surface edge.

Abstract: A solution is provided for tuning the frequency of a rotating body. A sectioned tuning ring is mounted to a flange coupling that couples a first part and a second part of a rotating body together. The sectioned tuning ring adjusts the frequency of the rotating body. The sectioned tuning ring can be bolted on to the rotating body as it is in an operating position within the machine, thus eliminating the need to remove the rotating body from the machine.

Abstract: A method for assembling a turbine assembly is provided. The method includes providing at least two buckets that each include an axial entry dovetail, a tip and an airfoil extending therebetween. The method also includes coupling the at least two buckets to a rotor wheel by inserting the axial entry dovetail into at least one complementary-configured mating dovetail slot defined in the rotor wheel, and coupling a bucket cover to the tip of the at least two buckets such that the bucket cover substantially circumscribes the rotor wheel in a continuous band.

Abstract: A method has been developed for predicting a remaining operational life of a turbine component including: obtaining crack flaw data regarding current crack flaws in the turbine component; using the crack flaw data with data regarding the structure and operating conditions of the turbine component to determine force loads applied to the turbine component and generate crack propagation data; applying a probalistic analysis to the crack flaw data and the generated crack propagation data to generate a statistical distribution of crack data, and applying the statistical distribution of crack data to predict a time to failure of the component by iteratively determining the force loads for successive periods of time.

Abstract: A method of repairing a turbine rotor wheel having a damaged dovetail includes removing the damaged dovetail from the turbine wheel, leaving a turbine wheel body and welding a ring about the turbine wheel body in place of the removed damaged dovetail. During the welding process, including during preheating, welding or stress relieving, the temperature of the wheel body and ring is differentially controlled to introduce residual stresses in the ring. After welding a dovetail is formed in the ring for receiving turbine bucket dovetails. As a result, the ring has residual compressive stresses in a cold condition of the turbine whereby reduced net stresses in the ring in the location of the new dovetail during hot turbine operating conditions are reduced.

Abstract: A dovetail joint between a rotor wheel and a bucket includes a male dovetail component on the rotor wheel and a female dovetail component in the bucket. The male dovetail component has axially projecting hooks with slanted crush surfaces along generally radially inwardly directed surfaces. The slanted surfaces form included angles with neck portions parallel to a plane normal to the axis of rotation which are larger than 90.degree. and decrease in included angle from the radially outermost hooks to the radially innermost hook where the angle is 90.degree.. Compound fillets are also provided along the transition surfaces between the slanted crush surfaces and the neck surfaces. Thus, stress concentrations are minimized.

Abstract: A method of repairing a turbine rotor wheel having a damaged dovetail includes removing the damaged dovetail from the turbine wheel, leaving a turbine wheel body and welding a ring about the turbine wheel body in place of the removed damaged dovetail. During the welding process, including during preheating, welding or stress relieving, the temperature of the wheel body and ring is differentially controlled to introduce residual stresses in the ring. After welding a dovetail is formed in the ring for receiving turbine bucket dovetails. As a result, the ring has residual compressive stresses in a cold condition of the turbine whereby reduced net stresses in the ring in the location of the new dovetail during hot turbine operating conditions are reduced.