Dynamic response modification and stress reduction in dovetail and blade assembly

摘要

A dovetail of a rotor blade is preferentially remove to thereby modify the support given to the root of a rotor blade. The modified support changes the vibrational characteristics of the rotor blade for reducing the tendency toward crack initiation. In one embodiment of the invention, one or more damping masses are fitted into the dovetail slot within the removed portion of the dovetail. The damping masses are loaded outward against the base of the rotor blade by centrifugal force and frictionally damp some of the vibrational energy of the rotor blade.