System for connecting and locking rotor blades of an axial compressor

1. A system for connecting and locking blades in an axial compressor, comprising:

a rotor disc having a circumferentially extending seat with a shaped profile formed about the circumference of the rotor disc, said shaped profile of said seat including axially opposed projections radially outwardly of axially opposed recesses adjacent a base of the seat, said seat base including at least one blind hole;

a plurality of blades circumferentially adjacent one another about the circumference of the rotor disc, each blade having an airfoil, a platform and a shaped root for connection to the rotor disc and reception in said seat, each said root having opposite flat sides in circumferential directions of said disc;

at least one block having a lateral profile with rounded corners, formed by a pair of recesses in a radial outer portion of the block for retention by the axially opposed projections of said seat, said block having a pair of projections in a radial inner portion thereof for reception in the axially opposed recesses of said seat, said block having a central generally radially extending through hole and opposite flat sides in circumferential directions of said disc;

a dowel for partial reception in said hole and having a body and a head, said block being received in said seat between a pair of next adjacent blades with said dowel head received in part in said blind hole to fix the block to the rotor disc against circumferential movement about the circumference of the rotor disk;

each said platform is quadrangular in shape, each said platform having a width in the circumferential direction of said rotor disc essentially equal to twice the thickness of the shaped roots of said blades in said circumferential direction, the width being essentially equal to twice the thickness of said one block, whereby in assembly of the blades a space is defined between adjacent blades sufficient to receive said one block.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said rotor disc includes at least one insertion slot at a predetermined circumferential location about said rotor disc and intersecting the circumferential seat to enable insertion of the shaped roots of the blades and said block.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the central hole of said block and a portion of said dowel are threaded to enable threading the dowel into the hole.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the platforms of said next adjacent blades have circumferentially registering apertures forming a through opening affording access to said dowel.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein said block has a hollow bush adjacent a radially outermost portion thereof and the central hole passes through the bush, the bush being shaped for reception in said opening formed by the registering apertures of the adjacent platforms of the next adjacent blades.

6. A system according to claim 1 including a second block having a lateral profile with rounded corners, formed by a pair of recesses in a radial outer portion of said second block for retention by the axially opposed projections of said seat, said second block having a pair of projections in a radial inner portion thereof for reception of the axially opposed recesses of said seat, said second block having a central through hole, a second dowel for partial reception in said hole of said second block and having a body and a head, said second block being received in said seat between a second pair of next adjacent blades with said head of said second dowel received in part in another blind hole to fix the second block to the rotor disc.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said rotor disc includes at least one insertion slot intersecting said circumferential seat to permit the insertion of the shaped roots of said blades and said blocks, said blind holes being spaced apart symmetrically with respect to said insertion slot.