Patents Examined by Eric J Zamora Alvarez
  • Patent number: 11852024
    Abstract: A turbine engine that includes an engine core, a core casing surrounding the engine core, at least one cowl surrounding the core casing, a power converter located between the at least one cowl and the core casing, an electrical generator disposed within the engine core, at least one electrical strut having an outer wall defining an interior and extending radially between the engine core and the core casing; and at least one electrical conduit located within the interior and electrically coupling the generator to the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC
    Inventors: Pawel Piotr Hanczewski, Mohamed Osama, Pawel Pawlowski
  • Patent number: 11834959
    Abstract: A morphing airfoil includes a dynamic flexible skin system that is capable of carrying high level aerodynamic (or fluid) pressure loads over a structural surface. The structural surface can morph and bend in response to control inputs to change a lift force without separate movable control surfaces. A plurality of standoff mounts is attached to an inner surface of anisotropic skin. The standoff mounts include through apertures for receiving a flexible stringer. The anisotropic skin is attached to underlying structure through the flexible stringers. The flexible stringers interface with actuated position control ribs and passive compliant support ribs. A control system causes the underlying support structure to move to a desired location which in turn causes the skin to bend and/or flex without exceeding a stress threshold and thus vary the lift and drag distributions along a span of the airfoil without separate control surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Jared Neely, James Joo, Russel Topp
  • Patent number: 11828192
    Abstract: A lattice formed of entwined links in a cavity encased by the external skin of a blade and provided with parts of low mechanical strength referred to as breakable, which are capable of rupturing when sufficient loads are applied thereto during operation of the blade. This arrangement, which concentrates the ruptures at given locations, will leave the rest of the lattice intact and therefore will not hamper or will scarcely hamper its properties of heat evacuation by conduction or convection or pressure loss, if for example ventilation air passes through it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN HELICOPTER ENGINES
    Inventors: Laurence Vial, Sylvain Pierre Votie, Denis Daniel Jean Boisseleau
  • Patent number: 11821322
    Abstract: An additive manufactured rotor for a seal assembly is provided. The rotor surrounds a central axis and extends along the central axis from a first axial end to an opposite second axial end. The rotor is rotatable about an axis of rotation that is co-axial with the central axis. The rotor can include an outer ring and an inner ring that is connected to the outer ring by a radial web. The outer ring has a rotor face for providing a sealing surface at the first axial end. The outer ring can define a first annular cavity and the inner ring can define a second annular cavity that is radially separated from the first annular cavity. The radial web can define a fluid channel for providing fluid communication between the first annular cavity of the outer ring and the second annular cavity of the inner ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
    Inventor: Gerald Maurice Berard
  • Patent number: 11814965
    Abstract: A turbomachine blade, and a coupon for a turbomachine blade, are disclosed. The blade may include an airfoil body having a pressure side and a suction side connected by a leading edge and a trailing edge, a coolant feed passage defined in the airfoil body, and a coolant reuse passage defined in the airfoil body. The blade may also include a first cooling circuit defined in the airfoil body. The first cooling circuit may include a rearward passage extending toward the trailing edge from and fluidly coupled to the coolant feed passage, and a radially spreading return passage extending away from the trailing edge toward and fluidly coupled to the coolant reuse passage. The cooling circuit may also include a radially extending turn passage coupling the rearward passage and the radially spreading return passage. A first set of obstructions may be positioned in the radially extending turn passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Earl Dyson, Nicholas William Rathay, Adam John Fredmonski
  • Patent number: 11814989
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for a gas turbine engine. This gas turbine engine apparatus includes a first platform, a second platform, a plurality of vanes and a plurality of beams. The first platform extends axially along and circumferentially about an axis. The second platform extends axially along and circumferentially about the axis. The vanes are arranged circumferentially about the axis. Each of the vanes extends radially across a gas path between the first platform and the second platform. The vanes include a first vane movably connected to the first platform. The beams are arranged circumferentially about the axis. The beams are fixedly connected to the first platform and the second platform. The beams include a first beam extending radially through the first vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Eric Durocher
  • Patent number: 11808166
    Abstract: Embodiments of an additively fabricated turbine blade having an integral tuned mass absorber are disclosed herein. The tuned mass absorber has an elliptical cross-section that results in the suppression of blade vibrations in at least two orthogonal modes of vibration. The tuned mass absorber is formed simultaneously during the additive fabrication of the blade. In an embodiment, the tuned mass absorber extends spanwise. In another embodiment, the tuned mass absorber extends chordwise. The dynamic responses of these spanwise and chordwise tuned mass absorbers are analytically predictable such that the dynamic responses may be incorporated into the design process of the turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Administrator of NASA
    Inventor: Andrew Michael Brown
  • Patent number: 11808167
    Abstract: A turbine engine blade includes an airfoil with a pressure-side wall and a suction-side wall which are connected upstream by a leading edge and downstream by a trailing edge. A cooling circuit has an internal cavity extending inside the airfoil and a plurality of outlet openings, each oriented substantially along a longitudinal axis X. Each outlet opening communicates with the cavity and is arranged in the vicinity of the trailing edge. A calibration device is arranged in the cavity and provided with calibration conduits arranged substantially opposite the outlet openings. The calibration conduits each include an oblong transverse section which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignees: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES, SAFRAN
    Inventors: Jérémy Jacques Attilio Fanelli, Romain Pierre Cariou, Vianney Simon, Ba-Phuc Tang
  • Patent number: 11801925
    Abstract: A field configurable autonomous vehicle includes modular elements and attachable components. The vehicle can be assembled from these modular elements and components to meet desired mission and performance characteristics without the need to purchase specially designed vehicles for each mission. The vehicle can include a modular propulsion system with magnetic drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Eric Seeley, Logan Harris
  • Patent number: 11795824
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for an engine component having a working airflow separated into a cooling airflow and a combustion airflow, the engine component comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced airfoils rotatable about a centerline defining an axial direction, each airfoil comprising an outer wall bounding an interior and defining a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction and extending between a root and a tip along a span-wise direction to define a span length; wherein each of the airfoils have an unguided turning angle to stagger angle ratio defined with respect to a percentage of the span length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Thomas William Vandeputte
  • Patent number: 11795827
    Abstract: An airfoil assembly comprising a central spar extending along the radial direction; a blade skin positioned around the central spar to define an airfoil that has a pressure side and a suction side extending in the axial direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein at least one cavity is defined between the blade skin and the central spar; and a support structure positioned at least partially within the at least one cavity. The support structure comprises: a foam; and a foam reinforcement structure embedded within the foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Raghuveer Chinta, Srinivas Nuthi, Gary Willard Bryant, Jr., Nicholas Joseph Kray
  • Patent number: 11795826
    Abstract: A turbine blade for use in a gas turbine engine includes localized thickening of a neck pocket of the turbine blade to meet strength requirements while minimizing the weight of the turbine blade. More specifically, a convex spline is positioned within a suction side neck pocket of the turbine blade adjacent a leading edge of the neck pocket to increase the strength of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Carlos Calixtro, Stephen D. Doll
  • Patent number: 11773728
    Abstract: An airfoil, such as a vane or a blade for a gas turbine engine, may be provided. The airfoil may include a platform; a spar; a fillet; and a coversheet. The spar may include a passageway inside of the spar for a cooling fluid, a pedestal on an outer surface of the spar, and a spar hole configured to direct the cooling fluid from the passageway to the outer surface of the spar. The fillet may be located at the intersection of the platform and the spar, and may couple the spar to the platform. The fillet and/or the coversheet may include a protrusion extending along the edge of the coversheet. The protrusion, along with the pedestal and the outer surface of the spar, may define a purge groove. The purge groove and a purge groove outlet may form a cooling path for cooling fluid to flow onto the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brett Barker, Eric Koenig
  • Patent number: 11773735
    Abstract: A turbine vane assembly for use in a gas turbine engine includes turbine vanes, a segmented inner vane support, and an outer vane support. The turbine vanes are arranged around a central axis of the engine. The inner vane support is arranged radially inwardly of the turbine vanes. The outer vane support includes a full-hoop outer support ring located radially outward of the plurality of turbine vanes and extends entirely circumferentially about the central axis. The outer vane support further includes a plurality of discrete support spars coupled to the full-hoop outer support ring and extending radially inward from the full-hoop outer support ring through an interior cavity of a respective turbine vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Inventors: Michael J. Whittle, Daniel Clark, Carl Boettcher, David Wright
  • Patent number: 11767767
    Abstract: A turbine stator sector includes a plurality of vanes extending along a radial direction between a first end and a second end and along an axial direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The sector further includes an internal shroud linked to the first end of the vanes and an external shroud linked to the second end of the vanes. The sector includes at least one annular portion forming all or part of the internal shroud or of the external shroud. The annular portion includes a first partition present at the junction with the first or the second end of the vanes and a second partition held spaced from the first partition along the radial direction by a three-dimensional structure including a plurality of cutouts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Laurent Gilles Dezouche, Sophie Martine Jobez, Julien Marc Antoine Prevost
  • Patent number: 11767768
    Abstract: A variable guide vane (VGV) assembly for a gas turbine engine, has: variable guide vanes circumferentially distributed about a central axis, the variable guide vanes rotatable about respective spanwise axes; and a unison member rollingly engageable to a casing of the gas turbine engine for rotation about the central axis, the unison member operatively connected to the variable guide vanes for rotating the variable guide vanes about the respective spanwise axes, the unison member having: a first ring extending around the central axis, a second ring spaced apart from the first ring and extending around the central axis, and connecting members connecting the first ring to the second ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Daniel Poick
  • Patent number: 11761339
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes a root arranged to attach the turbine blade to a rotor and a vane extending in a radial direction from the root to a tip surface. The vane includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure-side surface, and a suction-side surface that cooperate to define a vane perimeter. A perimeter wall extends radially from the tip surface and surrounds a portion of the vane perimeter. A first trench wall extends across the tip surface and cooperates with the perimeter wall to substantially enclose a pressure-side pocket and a second trench wall extends across the tip surface and cooperates with the perimeter wall to substantially enclose a suction-side pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Bharat Prabhu, Farzad Taremi, Ross Gustafson, Andrew Miller, Masayoshi Senga, Anne Maria Starke
  • Patent number: 11753940
    Abstract: Provided is a steam turbine rotor blade having, at an intermediate position in a blade length direction thereof, a tie boss for connection to an adjacent blade, wherein the steam turbine rotor blade includes a leading edge side protrusion that is extending in an embankment shape in a blade chord length direction at an intermediate position in the blade length direction, a start end and a terminal end of the leading edge side protrusion are located on a suction side surface and a pressure side surface, respectively, and the leading edge side protrusion continues from the start end to the terminal end via a blade leading edge and arrangement thereof in the blade length direction overlaps with the tie boss as viewed from the upstream side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Sasao, Soichiro Tabata, Ryo Takata, Chongfei Duan
  • Patent number: 11746726
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for an aircraft propulsion system. This assembly includes a nozzle extending axially along and circumferentially about an axial centerline. The nozzle includes a nozzle panel and a nozzle fairing fixedly connected to the nozzle panel at an axial end of the nozzle. The nozzle is configured with an internal flow passage radially between the nozzle panel and the nozzle fairing. The internal flow passage extends axially within the nozzle to an outlet between the nozzle panel and the nozzle fairing at the axial end of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Saunders, Bryce T. Kelford, Travis M. Frazier, Richard Haslim, Richard S. Alloway, Vijay V. Pujar
  • Patent number: 11745841
    Abstract: A field configurable autonomous vehicle includes modular elements and attachable components. The vehicle can be assembled from these modular elements and components to meet desired mission and performance characteristics without the need to purchase specially designed vehicles for each mission. The vehicle can include a modular propulsion system with magnetic drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Eric Seeley, Logan Harris