Abstract: A blisk includes a disk and a plurality of inner airfoils extending radially outwardly therefrom, with each of the inner airfoils having an integral shroud support at a radially outer end thereof. A plurality of outer airfoils extend radially outwardly from respective ones of the shroud supports, and a plurality of discrete shroud segments are disposed respectively between adjacent ones of the shroud supports to collectively form an annular shroud for radially separating flow between the inner and outer airfoils. Each of the shroud segments is removably joined to only one of the adjacent shroud supports to improve manufacturing access, to allow replacability, and to allow differential movement and friction damping during operation.

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.