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A turbine rotor disk includes a row of buckets secured about a radially outer periphery of the rotor disk, each bucket having an airfoil, a platform, a shank and a mounting portion, the mounting portion received in a radial slot formed in the rotor disk such that adjacent buckets in adjacent radial

A turbine rotor disk includes a row of buckets secured about a radially outer periphery of the rotor disk, each bucket having an airfoil, a platform, a shank and a mounting portion, the mounting portion received in a radial slot formed in the rotor disk such that adjacent buckets in adjacent radial slots are separated by a rotor disk post located between adjacent mounting portions and a shank cavity between adjacent shanks, radially outward of the rotor disk post and radially inward of adjacent platforms. The shank cavity is substantially filled with at least one discrete thermal plug.

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1. A turbine rotor disk comprising: a row of buckets secured about a radially outer periphery of the rotor disk, each bucket having an airfoil, a platform, a shank and a mounting portion, the mounting portion received in a radial slot formed in the rotor disk such that adjacent buckets in adjacent r

1. A turbine rotor disk comprising: a row of buckets secured about a radially outer periphery of the rotor disk, each bucket having an airfoil, a platform, a shank and a mounting portion, the mounting portion received in a radial slot formed in the rotor disk such that adjacent buckets in adjacent radial slots are separated by a rotor disk post located between adjacent mounting portions and by a shank cavity formed between adjacent shanks, radially outward of said rotor disk post and radially inward of adjacent platforms, the adjacent buckets form a platform gap between said adjacent platforms; andat least one discrete thermal plug substantially filling said shank cavity, such that said thermal plug directs a cooling flow along an outer perimeter of said shank cavity;wherein said thermal plug is shaped to form a single flow channel in the shape of a recess that extends an entire axial length along a radially outer edge of said thermal plug that is directly radially inwards of said adjacent platforms, said flow channel extends a substantial circumferential length across the platform gap and directs cooling flow along an underside of said adjacent platforms, and said thermal plug includes at least one annular protrusion located on said radially outer edge of said thermal plug to define at least one edge of said flow channel, such that said thermal plug does not abut said platform gap. 2. The turbine rotor disk of claim 1 wherein said at least one discrete thermal plug comprises a self-supporting hollow body. 3. The turbine rotor disk of claim 2 wherein said hollow body is filled with a honeycomb structure. 4. The turbine rotor disk of claim 1 wherein said at least one discrete thermal plug comprises a pair of side-by-side plugs. 5. The turbine rotor disk of claim 4 wherein said side-by-side plugs are axially retained in said cavity by cover plates integrally formed with said adjacent buckets. 6. The turbine rotor disk of claim 1 wherein said at least one discrete thermal plug is shaped to direct cooling flow along an upper surface of said rotor disk post. 7. The turbine rotor disk of claim 1 wherein said at least one discrete thermal plug is formed with an axial retention tab at one substantially axially-oriented end thereof. 8. The turbine rotor disk of claim 7 wherein said at least one discrete thermal plug is axially retained in said cavity by a cover plate. 9. A rotor bucket assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising: at least a pair of adjacent buckets secured to a rotor disk of the gas turbine engine, each bucket including a platform comprising a radially outer surface and a radially inner surface;an airfoil extending radially outwardly from said platform;a shank extending radially inwardly from said platform wherein said shank is formed with a concave surface forming an internal shank cavity;a dovetail extending radially inwardly from said shank; and whereina plug is received in said internal shank cavity between said pair of adjacent buckets, substantially filling said shank cavity while establishing a first cooling air flow path between a radially outer portion of said plug and said radially inner surface of said platform, said platforms of said adjacent buckets form a platform gap;wherein said first cooling air flow path is defined by a flow channel formed on said radially outer portion of said plug, said flow channel is in a shape of a recess, said flow channel extends along an entire axial length of said radially outer portion of said plug along the platform gap and extends a substantial circumferential length of said radially outer portion of said plug, said plug includes at least one annular protrusion located on said radially outer portion of said plug to define at least one edge of said flow channel such that said plug does not press against said platform gap. 10. The rotor bucket assembly of claim 9 wherein said plug comprises a hollow metal body. 11. The rotor bucket assembly of claim 10 wherein said hollow metal body is filled with a stiffening structure. 12. The rotor bucket assembly of claim 9 wherein said plug comprises a pair of side-by-side thermal plugs. 13. The rotor bucket assembly of claim 12 wherein said side-by-side thermal plugs are axially retained in said cavity and an adjacent cavity in an adjacent bucket by cover plates integrally formed with said bucket and said adjacent bucket. 14. The rotor bucket assembly of claim 9 wherein said plug is shaped to establish a second cooling air flow path along a radially outer surface of a rotor disk post extending between the dovetails of said pair of adjacent buckets. 15. The rotor bucket assembly of claim 9 wherein said plug is formed with a retention tab at one axially-oriented end thereof. 16. The rotor bucket assembly of claim 9 wherein said plug is axially retained in said cavity by a cover plate applied to said rotor disk. 17. A method of cooling an underside of platform portions of turbine buckets mounted on a rotor wheel wherein each bucket includes an airfoil, a platform, a shank and a mounting portion that is adapted to be received in a mating slot in the rotor wheel, and wherein adjacent shanks of adjacent buckets forms a shank cavity defined in part by the undersides of platforms of adjacent buckets, the method of comprising: (a) substantially filling said shank cavity with at least one thermal plug; and(b) shaping said thermal plug to form a flow channel in the shape of a recess that extends an entire axial length and a substantial circumferential length along a radially outer edge of said plug that is directly radially inwards of said adjacent platforms, said flow channel is defined by at least one annular protrusion located on said radially outer edge of said thermal plug to define at least one edge of said flow channel such that said flow channel extends along a platform gap between said adjacent buckets, and said thermal plug does not press against said platform gap, and(c) directing cooling flow from an outer perimeter of said thermal plug to said flow channel to cool the undersides of said platforms. 18. The method of claim 17 wherein step (b) further comprising shaping said thermal plug to direct cooling flow radially inwardly of said thermal plug to cool a disk post between adjacent mating slots in said rotor wheel.