John S Vannest

US Patent:

6606892, Aug 19, 2003

Filed:

Jul 12, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/193254

Inventors:

Todd Joseph Fischer - Ballston Spa NY
Jeffrey Philip Fregoe - Churchville NY
Dennis W. Roberts - Schenectady NY
John Francis VanNest - Schenectady NY

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

B21J 100

US Classification:

72 53, 29 907, 29 2351, 2988921, 2988922

Abstract:

An automatic machine for peening the tenons on bucket cover plates to secure the cover plates and adjacent buckets of a turbine wheel to one another is provided. The machine includes a fixture having stepped surfaces for locating the freely suspended fixture and peening tool relative to the bucket tips and cover plates and clamping the tips and cover plates to the fixture surfaces. After peening a first tenon, the fixture and tool head are displaced relative to the fixed cover plate and bucket tip to register the tool with a second tenon. An actuator displaces the suspended system to compensate for the movement of the fixture and tool relative to the turbine wheel. A counterbalance is provided to accommodate fixtures of different weights when peening the tenons of covers in different turbine wheels.

US Patent:

20020162221, Nov 7, 2002

Filed:

May 7, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/849438

Inventors:

Todd Fischer - Ballston Spa NY, US
Jeffrey Fregoe - Churchvile NY, US
David Marcellus - Webster NY, US
Dennis Roberts - Schenectady NY, US
John VanNest - Schenectady NY, US

International Classification:

B21K025/00

US Classification:

029/889210

Abstract:

An automatic machine for peening the tenons on bucket cover plates to secure the cover plates and adjacent buckets of a turbine wheel to one another is provided. The machine includes a fixture having stepped surfaces for locating the freely suspended fixture and peening tool relative to the bucket tips and cover plates and clamping the tips and cover plates to the fixture surfaces. After peening a first tenon, the fixture and tool head are displaced relative to the fixed cover plate and bucket tip to register the tool with a second tenon. An actuator displaces the suspended system to compensate for the movement of the fixture and tool relative to the turbine wheel. A counterbalance is provided to accommodate fixtures of different weights when peening the tenons of covers in different turbine wheels.