🔍 Key Concepts

• Steam turbine blade dynamics and how vibration and stress are controlled • The effect of tying blade tips together on movement at the blade root and tip • Difference between stiffening the blade, protecting from moisture, and controlling clearances

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens to a long, thin blade if all the tips are linked together by a band — how does that change its tendency to vibrate? • Consider where shroud bands are located: at the tips, not the root. Which of the choices actually relates to something you can influence from the tip? • Which option describes a primary mechanical function of a rigid ring at the outer diameter of the turbine wheel?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which choices deal with mechanical support and vibration control versus material/erosion effects • Ask yourself which function is most directly affected by interconnecting blade tips into a ring • Eliminate any option that mainly concerns the blade root or steam chemistry rather than tip dynamics