Rotor blades for turbine engines

1. In a tip shrouded rotor blade for a turbine engine, a tip shroud comprising:

a plurality of damping fins, each damping fin comprising a substantially non-radially-aligned surface that is configured to make contact with a tip shroud of a neighboring rotor blade;

wherein:

the plurality of damping fins include a leading edge damping fin and a trailing edge damping fin;

the leading edge damping fin corresponds to the trailing edge damping fin;

the plurality of damping fins include at least one trailing edge damping fin on both the pressure side and suction side of the tip shroud and at least one leading edge damping fin on both the pressure side and suction side of the tip shroud; and

each of the leading edge damping fins corresponds to one of the trailing edge damping fins.

2. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the leading edge damping fin corresponding to the trailing edge damping fin comprises the leading edge damping fin and the trailing edge damping fin being configured such that when a set of rotor blades having tip shrouds of the same design are installed in a rotor disk of the turbine engine:

the leading edge damping fin of a first rotor blade resides in a desired damping position in relation to the trailing edge damping fin of a second rotor blade that directly leads the first rotor blade; and

the trailing edge damping fin of the first rotor blade resides in a desired damping position in relation to the leading edge damping fin of a third rotor blade that directly trails the first rotor blade.

3. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the radial position of the leading edge damping fin is offset from the radial position of the trailing edge damping fin such that a desired level of contact between the leading edge damping fin and the trailing edge damping fin is substantially maintained during operation of the turbine engine.

4. The tip shroud according to claim 3 , wherein a desired level of contact comprises one of:

substantially partial contact during a startup phase for the turbine engine and substantially constant contact thereafter;

substantially partial contact during the startup phase for the turbine engine and substantially partial contact thereafter;

substantially no contact during the start-up phase for the turbine engine and substantially constant contact thereafter; and

substantially no contact during the start-up phase for the turbine engine and substantially partial contact thereafter.

5. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more radially-aligned contact surfaces;

wherein:

the radially-aligned contact surfaces comprise surfaces that are substantially aligned in the radial direction and configured to make contact with the tip shroud of neighboring rotor blades;

the radially-aligned contact surfaces at the leading edge of the tip shroud each correspond to the radially-aligned contact surfaces at the trailing edge of the tip shroud; and

the radially-aligned contact surfaces comprise contact surfaces that form an angle with a radial reference line of between approximately +/−10 degrees.

6. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein:

the non-radially-aligned contact surfaces comprise contact surfaces that form an angle with a radial reference line of between approximately 10 and 170 degrees; and

the damping fin comprises a relatively thin protrusion that extends circumferentially and axially from an edge of the tip shroud.

7. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein either:

the leading edge damping fin is disposed on a pressure side of the tip shroud and the trailing edge damping fin is disposed on a suction side of the tip shroud; or

the leading edge damping fin is disposed on a pressure side of the tip shroud and the trailing edge damping fin is disposed on a suction side of the tip shroud.

8. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein:

the trailing edge damping fin comprises a radial position just outboard of the leading edge damping fin;

an outer radial surface of the leading edge damping fin comprises a first contact face and an inner radial surface of the trailing edge damping fin comprises a second contact face; and

at least one of the first contact face and the second contact face comprise a wear coating.

9. The tip shroud according to claim 8 , wherein the wear coating comprises cobalt-based hardfacing powder.

10. The tip shroud according to claim 8 , wherein the damping fins are configured such that during turbine engine operation the outer radial surface of the leading edge damping fin and the inner radial surface of the trailing edge damping fin of adjacent turbine blades make at least partial contact.

11. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the leading edge damping fin and the trailing edge damping fin each comprise one of rectangular shape and a semicircular shape.

12. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein:

the leading edge damping fin comprises a radial position just outboard of the trailing edge damping fin; and

an inner radial surface of the leading edge damping fin comprises a first contact face and an outer radial surface of the trailing edge damping fin comprises a second contact face.

13. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the leading edge damping fins comprises an outboard position in relation to at least one of the corresponding trailing edge damping fins; and

wherein at least one of the leading edge damping fins comprises an inboard position in relation to at least one of the corresponding trailing edge damping fins.

14. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the damping fins form an angle with the radial reference line of 90 degrees.

15. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the damping fins form an angle with the radial reference line of between 70 and 110 degrees.

16. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the damping fins form an angle with the radial reference line of between 60 and 120 degrees.

17. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the damping fins form an angle with the radial reference line of between 45 and 135 degrees.

18. The tip shroud according to claim 1 , wherein the damping fins form an angle with the radial reference line of between 30 and 150 degrees.