Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Nixo & Vanderhye
  • Patent number: 6652237
    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 on the bucket. The male dovetail component has axially projecting hooks with slanted surfaces along generally radially inwardly directed surfaces. The slanted surfaces form included angles with a plane normal to the axis of rotation and bisecting the wheel dovetail which are larger than 90° and remain constant for all of the hooks. Single radius fillets are also provided along the transition surfaces between the slanted crush surfaces and the neck surfaces. The stress concentrations are therefore minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gary Edward Yehle, Noel Jacob Bylina, Wayne Alan Lillibridge