Abstract: An automatic machine for peening the tenons on bucket cover plates to secure the cover plates and adjacent buckets of a turbine wheel to one another is provided. The machine includes a fixture having stepped surfaces for locating the freely suspended fixture and peening tool relative to the bucket tips and cover plates and clamping the tips and cover plates to the fixture surfaces. After peening a first tenon, the fixture and tool head are displaced relative to the fixed cover plate and bucket tip to register the tool with a second tenon. An actuator displaces the suspended system to compensate for the movement of the fixture and tool relative to the turbine wheel. A counterbalance is provided to accommodate fixtures of different weights when peening the tenons of covers in different turbine wheels.

Abstract: In order to remove a plate made from a material that can be heated by electromagnetic induction and retained on a supporting member by a heat-fusible adhesive, an inductor is displaced facing at least one strip of the plate in order to heat the strip by induction and heat the adhesive by conduction until the adhesive softens, and a tearing tool is driven so as to tear out the heated strip by hot-peeling. The inductor and the tearing tool are displaced jointly relative to the plate and the supporting member by means of a mobile frame, which is displaced on a stationary frame on which the supporting member and the plate are fixed.

Abstract: A method for making air turning vanes each having formed therein a pair of locking protuberances which adapt the vanes to self-gripping attachment between a pair of rails to fabricate an air turning vane and rail assembly utilizes an elongated length of double plate airfoil vane stock including a front plate having an outer concave surface arcuately bowed about the central longitudinal axis of the plate, and a rear plate having an outer concave surface arcuately bowed about the central longitudinal axis of the rear plate. A vane of a desired length is severed from the vane stock, and the outer concave surface of the rear vane plate is impacted by a punch with sufficient force to deform from the inner surface of the plate a generally hemispherically-shaped button having a lower severed wall which forms a locking lip. The apparatus according to the present invention includes a guillotine-like shearing structure/vane stock support fixture which vertically slidably supports shear blade.

Abstract: A method for repairing a discrete damaged part of a strip bonded to an article surface includes applying a first removable masking member along and adjacent the damaged part of the strip and separated from the strip by a gap of at least 0.005″, and applying a second removable masking member to the outer surface of the strip. A repair adhesive, which can be cured at a curing temperature less than a higher temperature which can result in damage to properties of the article or a surface coating, is applied at and beneath an edge of the damaged part of the strip. Then the repair adhesive is cured at the curing temperature. Apparatus for bonding a strip to an end portion of the article includes a body having a channel there through defined, in part, by spaced apart support surfaces for article surfaces and positioned relative one to the other at a relative spatial position substantially coinciding with the relative spatial position of the article surfaces.

Abstract: An apparatus for extracting screw elements from a screw shaft comprises a frame, a stationary clamp mounted on the frame and disposable between open and closed positions, a carriage mounted on the frame for motion toward and away from the stationary clamp, a movable clamp mounted on the carriage for motion therewith and disposable between open and closed positions, a first drive coupled to the stationary clamp for opening and closing the stationary clamp, a second drive coupled to the movable clamp for opening and closing the movable clamp, and a third drive coupled to the carriage for causing motion of the carriage toward and away from the stationary clamp, wherein clamping of a downstream screw element by the stationary clamp, clamping of an upstream screw element by the movable clamp and one or more strokes of the carriage away from the stationary clamp result in removal of the downstream screw element held in place by the stationary clamp from the screw shaft.