Blade attachment assembly

1. An assembly for affixing a blade having a blade attachment member to a rotor wheel having a rotor wheel attachment slot, the assembly comprising:

an adaptor member disposed between the blade and the rotor wheel, the adaptor member including:

a first face;

a second face positioned opposite the first face;

an adaptor attachment slot formed through the first face and extending toward the second face, the adaptor attachment slot complementary to the blade attachment member;

a wall formed on the second face such that the adaptor attachment slot is open on the first face only; and

an adaptor attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot; and

a coverplate member, the coverplate member configured to engage the adaptor member and including:

a coverplate attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot; and

a hook-shaped feature disposed on a radially inward end of the coverplate attachment member for engaging the adaptor member, wherein the hook-shaped feature axially retains the adaptor member relative to the coverplate member, wherein the blade attachment member is axially inserted into the adaptor attachment slot,

wherein the coverplate member matingly engages the first face of the adaptor member, and

wherein the assembled adaptor attachment member and coverplate attachment member are axially inserted into the rotor wheel attachment slot.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the coverplate member further includes a panel extending radially outward relative to the hook-shaped feature, and wherein, when assembled, the panel maintains the blade attachment member axially within the adaptor attachment slot.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the adaptor member further comprises a chamfer on the first face between the adaptor attachment member and the adaptor attachment slot, and

wherein the coverplate member further comprises a chamfer on a mating face of the coverplate member, disposed between the hook-shaped feature and the panel, for engaging the chamfer on the first face of the adaptor member.

4. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the coverplate member provides a seal over the assembly.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blade attachment member includes a single tang dovetail configuration.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein a shape of the rotor wheel attachment slot and a shape of the blade attachment member are not complementary with one another.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the rotor wheel attachment slot includes one of:

a two-tang configuration;

a three-tang configuration; or

a T-slot configuration.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the coverplate member comprises a metal alloy and the rotor wheel comprises a metal.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises one of:

a non-metallic material, selected from the group consisting of a ceramic and a ceramic matrix composite (CMC); or

a metal alloy.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hook-shaped feature circumferentially and radially retains the adaptor member relative to the coverplate member.

11. A turbomachine comprising:

a rotor rotatably mounted within a stator, the rotor including:

a shaft; and

at least one rotor wheel mounted on the shaft, each of the at least one rotor wheels including a rotor wheel attachment slot;

a blade having a blade attachment member, the blade attachment member including a shape that is not complementary to a shape of the rotor wheel attachment slot of each of the at least one rotor wheel; and

an assembly for affixing the blade attachment member of the blade to the rotor wheel attachment slot of each of the at least one rotor wheel, the assembly including:

an adaptor member disposed between the blade and the rotor wheel, the adaptor member including:

a first face;

a second face positioned opposite the first face;

an adaptor attachment slot formed through the first face and extending toward the second face, the adaptor attachment slot complementary to the blade attachment member;

a wall formed on the second face such that the adaptor attachment slot is open on the first face only; and

an adaptor attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot; and

a coverplate member, the coverplate member configured to engage the adaptor member and including:

a coverplate attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot; and

a hook-shaped feature disposed on a radially inward end of the coverplate attachment member for engaging the adaptor member, wherein the hook-shaped feature axially retains the adaptor member relative to the coverplate member,

wherein the blade attachment member is axially inserted into the adaptor attachment slot,

wherein the coverplate member matingly engages the first face of the adaptor member, and

wherein the assembled adaptor attachment member and coverplate attachment member are axially inserted into the rotor wheel attachment slot.

12. The turbomachine of claim 11 ,

wherein the adaptor member further comprises a chamfer on the first face between the adaptor attachment member and the adaptor attachment slot, and

wherein the coverplate member further comprises

a chamfer on a mating face of the coverplate member for engaging with the chamfer on the first face of the adaptor member, and

a panel extending radially outward from the chamfer on the coverplate member for maintaining the blade attachment member axially within the adaptor attachment slot.

13. The turbomachine of claim 12 , wherein the coverplate member provides a seal over the assembly.

14. The turbomachine of claim 11 , wherein the blade attachment member includes a single tang dovetail configuration.

15. The turbomachine of claim 14 , wherein a shape of the rotor wheel attachment slot and a shape of the blade attachment member are not complementary with one another, and

wherein the rotor wheel attachment slot includes one of:

a two-tang configuration;

a three-tang configuration; or

a T-slot configuration.

16. The turbomachine of claim 11 , wherein the coverplate member comprises a metal alloy and the rotor wheel comprises a metal.

17. The turbomachine of claim 11 , wherein the blade comprises one of:

a non-metallic material selected from the group consisting of a ceramic and a ceramic matrix composite (CMC), or

a metal alloy.

18. The turbomachine of claim 11 , wherein the hook-shaped feature circumferentially and radially retains the adaptor member relative to the coverplate member.

19. An assembly for affixing a blade having a blade attachment member to a rotor wheel having a rotor wheel attachment slot, the assembly comprising:

an adaptor member disposed between the blade and the rotor wheel, the adaptor member including:

a first face;

a second face positioned opposite the first face;

an adaptor attachment slot formed through the first face and extending toward the second face, the adaptor attachment slot complementary to the blade attachment member;

a wall formed on the second face such that the adaptor attachment slot is open on the first face only; and

an adaptor attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot; and

a coverplate member, the coverplate member configured to engage the adaptor member and including:

a coverplate attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot,

wherein the blade attachment member is axially inserted into the adaptor attachment slot, and

wherein the coverplate member matingly engages the first face of the adaptor member.