🔍 Key Concepts

• Blade attachment methods in steam turbine design (e.g., shrouded, wire-lashed, gagged) • How vibration control and steam leakage affect blade choice at high pressure vs low pressure stages • The relationship between operating pressure/temperature and the need for rigid, well-supported blade roots and tips

💭 Think About

• Think about which blade design gives the most rigid tip support and minimizes movement between adjacent blades at very high pressures and speeds. • Consider which construction methods are more modern and robust, and which are more associated with older, low-pressure or small turbine stages. • Ask yourself: in a high-pressure stage, is it more critical to have blades that are easy to individually replace, or blades that act together as a stiff ring to resist vibration and leakage?

✅ Before You Answer

• For each option, note whether the design provides continuous tip support (forming a ring) or only localized lashing points. • Verify which types are typically used in low-pressure, long-blade rows versus high-pressure, short-blade rows in standard turbine practice. • Check which design best reduces steam leakage over the blade tips and blade vibration under high-pressure, high-speed conditions.