Abstract: A tip cap for a rotor blade which includes at least one radially extending rib having an abrasive coating thereon for providing a close clearance seal between the rotor blade and the surrounding shroud and also for cleaning the shroud of deposits of material thereon. The tip cap can include a cooling arrangement therein comprising a plurality of cooling passages and a thermal barrier. A method is provided for replacing one tip cap with another and includes the steps of removing a tip cap, machining the end of the rotor blade flat, aligning the replacement tip cap and securing it with the rotor blade.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a hollow article, such as a rotor blade, comprising the steps of forming a solid piece of material and establishing a reference datum thereon, cutting the piece into two parts and establishing aligning means for adjacent surfaces of the two parts, separating the two parts and forming at least one cavity in one of the adjacent surfaces, aligning the adjacent surfaces using the aligning means, fastening the two parts together, and forming the external surfaces of the article using the reference datum as a positional reference.