Multi-part dovetail repair broach assembly and methods of use

• US 6,551,032 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Pollock, Ralph A., Nolan, John F., Fischer, Todd Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Wellington, A. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walsh, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US09/986,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20030086765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 407/13, 407/15, 407/18, 407/19, 407/14, 407/16, 407/17, 409/244, 416/201, 298/892.1
• US Class Current: 407/13
• CPC Class Codes: B23D 2043/025 for producing grooves in turbines, e.g. for the insertion of blades
• CPC Class Codes: B23D 37/22 for special purposes B23D37/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 407/16 Rectilinear broach
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 407/1685 including sequentially acting teeth of stepped cutting width

Abstract

The broach assembly includes alternate spacers and cutters arranged in a sub-assembly having a lead at a leading end and a lag at a trailing end. The cutters have side margins in excess of the margins of the spacers for cutting material from the dovetail slots of the turbine wheel as the broach assembly passes through the slots. The bottom or apices of each spacer is tapered and extends beyond the corresponding surface of the cutter to progressively displace the assembly in a radial outward direction to progressively cut the active dovetail slot surfaces. Shims may be disposed in the bottom of the slot to further displace the broach assembly radially outwardly in multiple passes.

Claims

1. A broach assembly for establishing contact surfaces in a dovetail slot of a turbine wheel with surfaces of a bucket dovetail receivable in the slot, comprising:

a sub-assembly including a plurality of cutters having cutting surfaces about margins of the cutters and a plurality of spacers interposed between said cutters;

a lead and a lag carried by said sub-assembly adjacent opposite ends thereof for respectively leading the sub-assembly into the slot and facilitating withdrawal of the sub-assembly from the slot;

each of said lead, lag, cutters and spacers having a dovetail shape generally corresponding to the shape of the dovetail slot, said spacers having an apex;

said spacers having progressively tapered surfaces along said apices thereof and in a direction from said lead toward said lag for engaging a surface in the slot enabling generally oppositely facing cutting surfaces of said cutters to progressively cut the contact surfaces of the slot as the assembly passes through the slot lead end first.

2. A broach assembly according to claim 1 wherein sides of said cutters corresponding to the tapered apices of said spacers are inset from said tapered surfaces of said spacers.

3. A broach assembly according to claim 1 including at least one aperture through each of said spacers and cutters and at least one alignment rod passing through said apertures to maintain the cutters and spacers in alignment with one another.

4. A broach assembly according to claim 1 wherein said spacers have margins inset from margins of said cutters enabling a space between the contact surfaces and the spacer margins for collecting material cut from the contact surfaces.

5. A broach assembly according to claim 1 wherein said cutters and said spacers are alternately disposed in said sub-assembly.

6. A broach assembly according to claim 1 wherein said assembly in order from said lead to said lag includes said lead, a spacer, alternating cutters and spacers and a final cutter followed by said lag.

7. A broach assembly according to claim 1 including at least one aperture through each of said spacers and cutters and at least one alignment rod passing through said apertures to maintain the cutters and spacers in alignment with one another, said spacers having margins inset from margins of said cutters enabling a space between the contact surfaces and the spacer margins for collecting material cut from the contact surfaces.

8. A broach assembly according to claim 1 in combination with a plurality of shims of different thicknesses for sequentially engaging between a bottom of the slot and the tapered spacer surfaces as the broach assembly makes respective multiple passes through the slot to progressively cut the contact surfaces of the slot.

9. A broach assembly according to claim 1 wherein said cutters and said spacers are alternately disposed in said sub-assembly, said spacers and cutters having bottom apices, said spacers having toe portions along their apices and underlying apices of said cutter, the apices of said spacers being tapered from a leading spacer to a trailing spacer forming a continuous taper along the sub-assembly thereof.

10. A broach assembly for establishing contact surfaces in a slot of a first part with surfaces of a second part receivable in the slot, comprising:

a plurality of cutters each having an opening therethrough and cutting surfaces about margins of the cutters;

a plurality of spacers each having an opening therethrough and interposed between said cutters;

an element passing through said openings and cooperable with the cutters and spacers to form a sub-assembly of cutters and spacers;

a lead and a lag carried by said sub-assembly adjacent opposite ends thereof for respectively leading the sub-assembly into the slot and facilitating withdrawal of the sub-assembly from the slot;

said spacers having progressively tapered surfaces along a side of said sub-assembly and in a direction from said lead toward said lag for engaging a surface in said slot enabling generally oppositely facing cutting surfaces of said cutters to progressively cut the contact surfaces of the slot as the assembly passes through the slot lead end first.

11. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein sides of said cutters corresponding to the tapered sides of said spacers are inset from said tapered surfaces of said spacers.

12. A broach assembly according to claim 10 including at least one aperture through each of said spacers and cutters and at least one alignment rod passing through said apertures to maintain the cutters and spacers in alignment with one another.

13. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein said spacers have margins inset from margins of said cutters enabling a space between the contact surfaces and the spacer margins for collecting material cut from the contact surfaces of the slot.

14. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein said cutters and said spacers are alternately disposed in said sub-assembly.

15. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein said lead and said lag have openings, said support element including a draw bolt passing through said openings of said cutters, spacers, lead and lag and a nut on opposite ends of said draw bolt clamping said cutters, spacers, lead and lag in assembly.

16. A broach assembly according to claim 15 including a pair of apertures through each of said cutters, spacers, lead and lag on opposite sides of said openings and alignment rods through said apertures to maintain the cutters, spacers, lead and lag in alignment with one another.

17. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein each of said lead, lag, cutters and spacers has a dovetail shape with an apex, the tapered surfaces lying along the apices of the spacers.

18. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein said assembly in order from said lead to said lag includes said lead, a spacer, alternating cutters and spacers and final cutter followed by said lag.

19. A broach assembly according to claim 10 including at least one aperture through each of said spacers and cutters and at least one alignment rod passing through said apertures to maintain the cutters and spacers in alignment with one another, said spacers having margins inset from margins of said cutters enabling a space between the contact surfaces and the spacer margins for collecting cut material from the contact surfaces, each of said lead, lag, cutters and spacers having a dovetail shape with an apex, the tapered surfaces lying along the apices of the spacers.

20. A broach assembly according to claim 10 in combination with a plurality of shims of different thicknesses for sequentially engaging between a bottom surface of the slot and the tapered spacer surfaces as the broach assembly makes respective multiple passes through the slot to progressively cut the contact surfaces of the slot.

21. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein said spacers have margins inset from margins of said cutters enabling a space between the contact surfaces and the spacer margins for collecting material cut from the contact surfaces of the slot, sides of said cutters corresponding to the tapered sides of said spacers being inset from said tapered surfaces of said spacers.

22. A broach assembly according to claim 10 wherein said cutters and said spacers are alternately disposed in said sub-assembly, said spacers and cutters having bottom apices, said spacers having toe portions along their apices and underlying apices of said cutter, the apices of said spacers being tapered from a leading spacer to a trailing spacer forming a continuous taper along the sub-assembly thereof.

23. A method of progressively cutting surfaces in a slot of a first part to establish contact with mating surfaces of a second part receivable in the cut slot comprising the steps of:

providing a broach assembly including a sub-assembly of alternating cutters and spacers each having a marginal configuration generally conforming to the configuration of the slot with said spacer margins being inset from the cutter margins;

forming tapers along surfaces of the spacers on a side of the sub-assembly facing generally opposite to cutting surfaces formed on the cutters; and

passing the sub-assembly through the slot with the tapered spacer surfaces engaging a surface in the slot and in a direction enabling the cutting surfaces of the cutters to progressively cut the surfaces of the slot to form contact surfaces for engaging the mating surfaces of the second part upon reception of the second part in the cut slot of the first part.

24. A method according to claim 23 including providing a lead on said sub-assembly having a marginal configuration inset from margins of said cutters to facilitate insertion of the sub-assembly into the slot and inserting the sub-assembly into the slot lead end first.

25. A method according to claim 23 including providing a lag on said sub-assembly having a marginal configuration corresponding to the marginal configuration of the cutters.

26. A method according to claim 23 including providing a lead on said sub-assembly having a marginal configuration inset from margins of said cutters to facilitate insertion of the sub-assembly into the slot and inserting the sub-assembly into the slot lead end first, and providing a lag on said sub-assembly having a marginal configuration greater than the marginal configuration of said lead.

27. A method according to claim 23 including providing said cutters and spacers with a generally dovetail configuration about margins thereof.

28. A method according to claim 23 including forming an opening through each of said cutters and spacers, passing a bolt through the openings and securing said bolt to said sub-assembly to maintain said cutters and spacers in said sub-assembly.

29. A method according to claim 23 including forming an aperture through each of said cutters and said spacers and passing a rod through said apertures to maintain said cutters and said spacers in alignment relative to one another.

30. A method according to claim 23 including providing multiple shims of progressively increasing thicknesses, inserting shims of progressively increasing thicknesses into a base of the slot, and passing the sub-assembly through the slot to engage the shims of increasing thicknesses during respective multiple passes of the sub-assembly.

31. A method according to claim 23 including providing the cutters with surfaces along sides thereof corresponding to the tapered surfaces of said cutters inset from said tapered surfaces.