Turbine blade with radial support, shim and related turbine rotor

1. A turbine rotor comprising:

a rotor body having a plurality of dovetail slots including a plurality of recesses;

a turbine blade within one of the plurality of dovetail slots, the turbine blade having:

a blade having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;

a tip at an outer radial portion of the blade; and

a base at an inner radial portion of the blade, the base including a dovetail for complementing a corresponding dovetail slot in the turbine rotor, the dovetail having:

a body;

a plurality of projections extending from the body in opposing directions for complementing a plurality of recesses in the corresponding dovetail slot; and

a tapered groove extending through the body from the first end to the second end, the tapered groove having a tapered profile such that a first depth of the tapered groove at the first end is greater than a second depth of the tapered groove at the second end, and wherein the tapered profile gradually transitions from the first depth to the second depth, the tapered groove being open at a bottom surface of the body and sized to engage a shim; and

the shim for retaining the turbine blade in the dovetail slot, wherein the shim includes:

a main body having a first shim end, a second shim end opposite the first shim end, a thinned region extending from the first shim end toward the second shim end, an upper surface extending continuously between the first shim end and the second shim end, a thinned lower surface extending from the first shim end beneath the thinned region, and a lower surface extending from the thinned region to the second shim end;

wherein the thinned region has a first thickness between the upper surface and the thinned lower surface, the main body has a second thickness between the upper surface and the lower surface at an end of the thinned region at the first shim end, and the second shim end has a third thickness between the upper surface and the lower surface, each of the first thickness and the third thickness being less than the second thickness; and

wherein the first shim end is bent over the rotor body at one of an upstream end or a downstream end of the dovetail slot, and the second shim end is bent over the rotor body at the other of the downstream end or the upstream end of the dovetail slot.

2. The turbine rotor of claim 1 , wherein the thinned region has a length equal to about 10% to about 25% of a length of the main body.

3. The turbine rotor of claim 1 , wherein the one of the plurality of dovetail slots further includes:

a blended region having a radiused surface located on a radially inner portion and an axially facing surface of the one of the plurality of dovetail slots.

4. The turbine rotor of claim 3 , wherein the blended region is located on the upstream end and the downstream end of the dovetail slot.

5. The turbine rotor of claim 1 , wherein the first end is a leading edge of the blade and the second end is a trailing edge of the blade.

6. The turbine rotor of claim 1 , wherein the first end is a trailing edge of the blade and the second end is a leading edge of the blade.

7. The turbine rotor of claim 1 , wherein the thinned region has a length equal to about one-quarter of a length of the main body.

8. The turbine rotor of claim 1 , wherein the thinned region has a length equal to about three-sixteenths of a length of the main body.

9. The turbine rotor of claim 1 , wherein the thinned region has a length equal to about one-eighth of a length of the main body.