Turbine wheel

Claim 1

A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A TURBINE WHEEL WHICH IS HIGHLY RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES IN THE RATE OF FLOW OF MOTIVE DRIVING FLUID THROUGH THE BLADES THEREOF AND WHICH EFFECTIVELY PREVENTS THE FORMATION OF UNDESIRABLE RANDOM CRACKS DEVELOPED BY REPEATED CYCLIC EXPOSURE OF THE TURBINE WHEEL BLADES TO HOT MOTIVE GASES, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A TURBINE WHEEL TO HAVE A DISC-LIKE BODY WITH AN ANNULAR PEDESTAL PORTION RADIATING THEREFROM AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREABOUT, FORMING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED TURBINE WHEEL BLADES ABOUT SAID PEDESTAL PORTION SO AS TO BE DIRECTED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, FORMING A PLURALTIY OF GENERALLY AXIALLY DIRECTED RADIALLY EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RECESSES IN SAID PEDESTAL PORTION THEREBY DEFINING A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY AXIALLY DIRECTED RADIALLY EXTENDING STRUTS THEREBETWEEN, FORMING EACH OF SAID RECESSES SO AS TO HAVE THE RADIALLY INNERMOST SURFACE THEREOF OF GENERALLY ARCUATE CONFIGURATION JOINING THE RADIALLY INNERMOST ENDS OF PAIRS OF SUCCESSIVE STRUTS, FORMING AN ANNULAR AXIALLY DIRECTED RIM SO AS TO JOIN THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST END OF EACH OF SAID STRUTS, FORMING A TAPERED PORTION ON EACH SIDE OF EACH OF SAID STRUTS NEAR THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST END THEREOF IN A MANNER CAUSING SAID TAPERED PORTIONS OF SUCCEEDING STRUTS TO FORM A JUNCTURE AT A POINT WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY ON THE RADIALLY INNERMOST SURFACE OF SAID RIM THEREBY PROVIDING FIRST PORTIONS FOR LOCALIZING STRESSES, FORMING A WEB IN EACH OF SAID RECESSES SO AS TO JOIN SUCCEEDING STRUTS THEREBY DIVIDING SAID RECESSES INTO UPSTREAM RECESSES AND DOWNSTREAM RECESSES AND EFFECTIVELY PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF MOTIVE FLUID BETWEEN SAID STRUTS, FORMING SECOND PORTIONS FOR LOCALIZING STRESSES FORMED ON SAID WEBS, PLACING A LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL WITHIN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID UPSTREAM RECESSES AND AGAINST SAID WEB THEREIN, AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLING SAID ONE OF SAID UPSTREAM RECESSES WITH A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, PLACING AN ELECTRODE OF GENERALLY ARCUATE CROSS-SECTION PARTIALLY INTO ONE OF SAID DOWNSTREAM RECESSES WHICH IS IN GENERAL JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID ONE OF SAID UPSTREAM RECESSES, APPLYING AN ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL TO SAID ELECTRODE AND SAID WEB BETWEEN SAID ONE UPSTREAM AND SAID ONE DOWNSTREAM RECESS THEREBY CAUSING ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES AS BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE AND SAID WEB IN ORDER TO REMOVE MATERIAL FROM SAID WEB, ADVANCING SAID ELECTRODE TOWARD SAID WEB AS SAID MATERIAL IS BEING REMOVED, CONTINUING TO ADVANCE SAID ELECTRODE UNTIL SAID ELECTRODE ABUTS AGAINST SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL THEREBY FORMING AN APERTURE THROUGH SAID WEB, AND WITHDRAWING SAID ELECTRODE FROM SAID DOWNSTREAM RECESS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A TURBINE WHEEL WHICH IS HIGHLY RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES IN THE RATE OF FLOW OF MOTIVE DRIVING FLUID THROUGH THE BLADES THEREOF AND WHICH EFFECTIVELY PREVENTS THE FORMATION OF UNDESIRABLE RANDOM CRACKS DEVELOPED BY REPEATED CYCLIC EXPOSURE OF THE TURBINE WHEEL BLADES TO HOT MOTIVE GASES, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A TURBINE WHEEL TO HAVE A DISC-LIKE BODY WITH AN ANNULAR PEDESTAL PORTION RADIATING THEREFROM AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREABOUT, FORMING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED TURBINE WHEEL BLADES ABOUT SAID PEDESTAL PORTION SO AS TO BE DIRECTED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, FORMING A PLURALTIY OF GENERALLY AXIALLY DIRECTED RADIALLY EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RECESSES IN SAID PEDESTAL PORTION THEREBY DEFINING A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY AXIALLY DIRECTED RADIALLY EXTENDING STRUTS THEREBETWEEN, FORMING EACH OF SAID RECESSES SO AS TO HAVE THE RADIALLY INNERMOST SURFACE THEREOF OF GENERALLY ARCUATE CONFIGURATION JOINING THE RADIALLY INNERMOST ENDS OF PAIRS OF SUCCESSIVE STRUTS, FORMING AN ANNULAR AXIALLY DIRECTED RIM SO AS TO JOIN THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST END OF EACH OF SAID STRUTS, FORMING A TAPERED PORTION ON EACH SIDE OF EACH OF SAID STRUTS NEAR THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST END THEREOF IN A MANNER CAUSING SAID TAPERED PORTIONS OF SUCCEEDING STRUTS TO FORM A JUNCTURE AT A POINT WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY ON THE RADIALLY INNERMOST SURFACE OF SAID RIM THEREBY PROVIDING FIRST PORTIONS FOR LOCALIZING STRESSES, FORMING A WEB IN EACH OF SAID RECESSES SO AS TO JOIN SUCCEEDING STRUTS THEREBY DIVIDING SAID RECESSES INTO UPSTREAM RECESSES AND DOWNSTREAM RECESSES AND EFFECTIVELY PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF MOTIVE FLUID BETWEEN SAID STRUTS, FORMING SECOND PORTIONS FOR LOCALIZING STRESSES FORMED ON SAID WEBS, PLACING A LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL WITHIN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID UPSTREAM RECESSES AND AGAINST SAID WEB THEREIN, AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILLING SAID ONE OF SAID UPSTREAM RECESSES WITH A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, PLACING AN ELECTRODE OF GENERALLY ARCUATE CROSS-SECTION PARTIALLY INTO ONE OF SAID DOWNSTREAM RECESSES WHICH IS IN GENERAL JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID ONE OF SAID UPSTREAM RECESSES, APPLYING AN ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL TO SAID ELECTRODE AND SAID WEB BETWEEN SAID ONE UPSTREAM AND SAID ONE DOWNSTREAM RECESS THEREBY CAUSING ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES AS BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE AND SAID WEB IN ORDER TO REMOVE MATERIAL FROM SAID WEB, ADVANCING SAID ELECTRODE TOWARD SAID WEB AS SAID MATERIAL IS BEING REMOVED, CONTINUING TO ADVANCE SAID ELECTRODE UNTIL SAID ELECTRODE ABUTS AGAINST SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL THEREBY FORMING AN APERTURE THROUGH SAID WEB, AND WITHDRAWING SAID ELECTRODE FROM SAID DOWNSTREAM RECESS.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF FORMING AN APERTURE THROUGH A WALL PORTION OF A METALLIC ARTICLE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PLACING A THIN LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL ON ONE SIDE OF SAID WALL PORTION, PLACING A LAYER OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL AGAINST SAID LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SO AS TO GENERALLY CONTAIN SAID ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID WALL PORTION AND SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, PLACING ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING ELECTRODE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID WALL PORTION OPPOSITE TO SAID ONE SIDE, APPLYING AN ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL TO SAID WALL PORTION AND TO SAID ELECTRODE THEREBY CAUSING ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES AS BETWEEN SAID WALL PORTION AND SAID ELECTRODE IN ORDER TO REMOVE MATERIAL FROM SAID WALL, ADVANCING SAID ELECTRODE TOWARD SAID WALL AT A RATE RELATED TO THE RATE AT WHICH SAID MATERIAL IS BEING REMOVED, CONTINUING TO ADVANCE SAID ELECTRODE UNTIL SAID ELECTRODE PASSES THROUGH SAID WALL PORTION AND AT LEAST IN PART PASSES THROUGH SAID LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL TO ABUT AGAINST SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL SERVING TO PREVENT THE OCCURRENCE OF ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES AS BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE AND A PORTION OF SAID METALLIC ARTICLE OTHER THAN SAID WALL PORTION.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF FORMING AN APERTURE THROUGH A WALL PORTION OF A METALLIC ARTICLE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PLACING A THIN LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL ON ONE SIDE OF SAID WALL PORTION, PLACING A LAYER OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL AGAINST SAID LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SO AS TO GENERALLY CONTAIN SAID ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID WALL PORTION AND SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, PLACING ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING ELECTRODE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID WALL PORTION OPPOSITE TO SAID ONE SIDE, APPLYING AN ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL TO SAID WALL PORTION AND TO SAID ELECTRODE THEREBY CAUSING ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES AS BETWEEN SAID WALL PORTION AND SAID ELECTRODE IN ORDER TO REMOVE MATERIAL FROM SAID WALL, ADVANCING SAID ELECTRODE TOWARD SAID WALL AT A RATE RELATED TO THE RATE AT WHICH SAID MATERIAL IS BEING REMOVED, CONTINUING TO ADVANCE SAID ELECTRODE UNTIL SAID ELECTRODE PASSES THROUGH SAID WALL PORTION AND AT LEAST IN PART PASSES THROUGH SAID LAYER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL TO ABUT AGAINST SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL SERVING TO PREVENT THE OCCURRENCE OF ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES AS BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE AND A PORTION OF SAID METALLIC ARTICLE OTHER THAN SAID WALL PORTION.