Abstract: A precipitation-hardened stainless steel alloy comprises, by weight: about 14.0 to about 16.0 percent chromium; about 6.0 to about 7.0 percent nickel; about 1.25 to about 1.75 percent copper; about 0.5 to about 2.0 percent molybdenum; about 0.025 to about 0.05 percent carbon; niobium in an amount greater than about twenty times to about twenty-five times that of carbon; and the balance iron and incidental impurities. The alloy has an aged microstructure and an ultimate tensile strength of at least about 1100 MPa and a Charpy V-notch toughness of at least about 69 J. The aged microstructure includes martensite and not more than about 10% reverted austenite and is useful for making turbine airfoils.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a turbine bucket and an apparatus facilitate reducing tip shroud creep. The method includes providing a turbine bucket that includes a tip shroud including at least one seal rail. The method also includes coupling at least one cutter tooth to the tip shroud, wherein the at least one cutter tooth is fabricated from an abradable material that enables the at least one cutter tooth to be removed from the tip shroud during operation of the turbine engine.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a turbine bucket and an apparatus facilitate reducing tip shroud creep. The method includes providing a turbine bucket that includes a tip shroud including at least one seal rail. The method also includes coupling at least one cutter tooth to the tip shroud, wherein the at least one cutter tooth is fabricated from an abradable material that enables the at least one cutter tooth to be removed from the tip shroud during operation of the turbine engine.

Abstract: A method of selecting and growing pluripotential embryonic stem cells isolated from an ungulate species blastocysts of embryos that develop by way of an embryonic disc is disclosed. The method comprises growing blastocysts in tissue culture growth medium which includes both heat-inactivated new born calf serum and heat-inactivated fetal calf serum; disaggregating the blastocysts either after spontaneous hatching or after mechanical removal of the zone pellucida; growing stem cell colonies from the disaggregated cells in issue culture growth medium; selecting stem cell colonies by morphological characteristics; and growing the selected stem cells in tissue culture growth medium. The cells are round cells, tightly packed with large nuclei in relation to cytoplasm, and fairly prominent nucleoli. They grow in tightly adherent coloedes and as the colonies get larger the cells tend to flatten out in the center of the colony.

Abstract: A method of selecting and growing pluripotential embryonic stem cells isolated from an ungulate species blastocysts of embryos that develop by way of an embryonic disc is disclosed. The method comprises growing blastocysts in tissue culture growth medium which includes both heat-inactivated new born calf serum and heat-inactivated fetal calf serum; disaggregating the blastocysts either after spontaneous hatching or after mechanical removal of the zone pellucida; growing stem cell colonies from the disaggregated cells in issue culture growth medium; selecting stem cell colonies by morphological characteristics; and growing the selected stem cells in tissue culture growth medium. The cells are round cells, tightly packed with large nuclei in relation to cytoplasm, and fairly prominent nucleoli. They grow in tightly adherent coloedes and as the colonies get larger the cells tend to flatten out in the center of the colony.