Patents Examined by Hermes Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 6190123
    Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a method of operating a simply constructed centrifugal compressor equipped, in the region of the rear wall of the compressor impeller, with no sealing elements in the separating gap between the compressor impeller and the compressor casing, which method increases the service life of the centrifugal compressor. An appliance for carrying out the method is also to be made available. In accordance with the invention, this is achieved by introducing a cooling medium into the separating gap downstream of the leakage flow of the working medium and by finally removing this again after the cooling process has taken place. For this purpose, at least one supply duct for a gaseous cooling medium, the duct penetrating the compressor casing, opening into the separating gap in the region of the rear wall of the compressor impeller and directed onto the rear wall, and at least one removal duct for the cooling medium are arranged in the compressor casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boverti AG
    Inventors: Dirk Wunderwald, Martin Thiele
  • Patent number: 6190129
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor blade 18 includes a dovetail 22 and integral airfoil 24. The airfoil includes a pair of sidewalls 28,30 extending between leading and trailing edges 32,34, and longitudinally between a root 36 and tip 38. The sidewalls are spaced laterally apart to define a flow channel 40 for channeling cooling air through the airfoil. The tip includes a floor 48 atop the flow channel, and a pair of ribs 50,52 laterally offset from respective sidewalls. The ribs are longitudinally tapered for increasing cooling conduction thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey C. Mayer, Gary C. Liotta, John H. Starkweather, Antonio C. Gominho
  • Patent number: 6186739
    Abstract: The invention is about an improved support for a cooling fan. The support has a seat for receiving a fan. A plurality of L-shaped arms are securely formed and substantially extend out from the seat, and provided with a first portion parallel to the seat and a second portion rectangular to the seat. A flange is securely formed on the top of the second portions of the arms. The flange is able to conduct air flow and lower the turbulence of air flow in the vicinity of the periphery of the fan so as to enhance the efficiency of the fan. The flange also integrates the supporting plates, so that even only two diagonal supporting plates are fastened by screws to a frame, the rest of the supporting plates are fastened accordingly and can not vibrate any more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Inventor: Hsin-Mao Hsieh
  • Patent number: 6183202
    Abstract: A rotor blade having a dovetail is mounted in a complementary slot in a rotor disk, with radially engaging outer and inner pressure faces, respectively. Relief grooves are provided for reducing stiffness at contact edges between the pressure faces to reduce peak stress thereat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Todd J. Ganshaw
  • Patent number: 6183193
    Abstract: A Tangential On-Board Injection (TOBI) nozzle or a Radial On-Board Injection (ROBI) nozzle with adjustable flow area in a gas turbine engine for directing a cooling air flow into a rotor assembly of the turbine is disclosed. The TOBI or ROBI nozzle is a unitary cast structure including a plurality of tangentially angled cooling air passages, a number of the passages being cast-closed. After a flow test is conducted using the TOBI or ROBI nozzle, one or more of the cast-closed passages may be selectively machined open if the mass flow of the TOBI or ROBI nozzle does not satisfy the design point. Therefore, the structure of the TOBI or ROBI nozzle is easily fabricated using a casting process with low manufacturing costs while the optimum cooling air flow is achieved by adjusting the total flow area of the TOBI or ROBI nozzle before it is installed to the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: David Frederick Glasspoole, Yvan Schraenen
  • Patent number: 6179564
    Abstract: A portable electric fan is provided. The portable electric fan includes a handle constructed of a case in the form of a hollow column, having one end through which one or more power supplying batteries are installed, a motor connected to the electrode of the battery for providing a rotational driving force, a fan which is installed on a rotating shaft of the motor and is rotatably driven, a protecting member enclosing the fan rotated by the motor, and a cord attached to some part of the protecting member. Therefore, the portable electric fan can be operated, while hanging around some part of a user's body such as the neck. Accordingly, it is possible to freely use both hands. Also, it is possible to safely produce air movement since a protecting member enclosing the fan is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Inventor: Bae-sig Park
  • Patent number: 6178868
    Abstract: A system by which the air exhausted from either end of a pneumatic cylinder is directed, by an arrangement of control valves, to external surge tanks of appropriate volume where it is compressed to produce a deceleration effect at the end of each stroke before being released to the atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Denis Comact Chicoutimi, Inc.
    Inventors: Andr{acute over (e)} Gagnon, Gilles Harvey
  • Patent number: 6179556
    Abstract: An industrial turbine assembly comprises a plurality of rotating blade portions in a spaced relation with a stationary shroud. The rotating blade includes a root section, an airfoil having a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall defining an outer periphery and a tip portion having a tip cap. An offset squealer is disposed on the tip cap. The offset squealer is positioned inward from the outer periphery of the rotating blade. The offset squealer increases the flow resistance and reduces the flow of hot gas flow leakage for a given pressure differential across the blade tip portion so as to improve overall turbine efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 6179566
    Abstract: The invention includes a blower wheel assembly and method characterized by a steel hub with protruding lugs that mate with a corresponding array of holes in a backplate of the assembly. The lugs are riveted or otherwise deformed to upset the lug material, thereby permanently and securely attaching the hub to the backplate. The lugs may be formed on the hub by a machining process. The holes in the backplate may have stress relief portions to avoid stress concentrations in corners of the holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Beckett Air Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph H. Andulics, Gregory R. Nagy
  • Patent number: 6179567
    Abstract: A turbine blade (18) for a gas turbine engine includes a machining datum and support tool interface (52). The datum and interface feature is a frustoconical depression residing in a blade outer shroud (36) and ideally aligned with an airfoil stacking line (40). The blade has a prefinished state in which the depression has a prefinished depth and a finished state in which the depression has a finished depth. The finished depth is smaller than the prefinished depth, but is nevertheless sufficient to act as a support feature during manufacturing operations. The utility of the depression, as both a datum and as a support feature, survives the original manufacturing operations so that the depression is useful for post-manufacturing inspection and repair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce A. Stauffer, Gilbert B. Wilcox
  • Patent number: 6179560
    Abstract: The invention is a turbomachinery module (10) whose forwardmost vanes, which are the most damage susceptible vanes in the module, are easily removable and replaceable without substantial disassembly of the module. The module includes a case (12) and a forwardmost array (1V) of vanes. Each vane (34) of the forwardmost array has an axially proximal and distal end (90, 92) relative to the forward end (16) of the case. The distal end of each vane has a foot (102) that abuts but is not connected to a vane guide (32) on the case. The proximal end of each vane has an attachment bracket (110) that can be secured to or disengaged from a vane support (28) on the case. Vane removal is accomplished by disengaging the attachment bracket (110) from the vane support (28) and withdrawing the vane through the forward end of the case. The invention improves upon conventional turbine modules in which the forwardmost vane array is removable only from the aft end of the case after the module has been substantially disassembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Konstantino Kouris, John A Leogrande
  • Patent number: 6179553
    Abstract: Multiple stage centrifugal pumps have a plurality of rotors arranged on a drive shaft are shown. At least one rotor is formed as a hollow shaft which is rotatably journalled on the drive shaft and which rotates with a speed of rotation n2 which is different from the speed of rotation n1 of the drive shaft. The hollow shaft is driven by a mechanical converter which takes up mechanical power from the drive shaft in the housing and gives it off at a different speed of rotation n2 to the hollow shaft in such a manner that the speed of rotation of a rotor of the first stage is lower in order to produce a lower NPSHR value for the multiple stage pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Sulzer Weise GmbH
    Inventor: Siegfried Liegat
  • Patent number: 6174129
    Abstract: A turbo-machine having a means for attaching the blade ring to the casing at a plurality of alternative radial positions to provide for a plurality of alternative clocking angles for a stage of stationary airfoils. The blade ring is provided with a plurality of notches that may selectively be aligned with a pin inserted through the casing. By rotating the blade ring so that a selected notch aligns with the pin, a selected clocking position may be achieved. Assembly with a different clocking angle is achieved by aligning the pin with a different notch. The notches may be provided at any location around the blade ring so long as they are separated by a radial distance which is a non-integer multiple of the segment angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventors: Stefan Mazzola, Kent Goran Hultgren
  • Patent number: 6164906
    Abstract: A regulating valve for engines operated by a medium under pressure, in particular compressed air operated engines, in order to regulate the flow of compressed air to the engine to provide a substantially constant revolution rate at varying load, the regulating valve being provided with a valve body for controlling the momentary volume flow through the regulating valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Adevus Teknik AB
    Inventors: Lars Norberg, Hans Aiderborn
  • Patent number: 6164915
    Abstract: The anti-vibration suspension device includes at least three diagonal bars each articulated on the transmission box and on the structure by a rigid lever supporting a damping weight itself articulated to at least pivot on this structure, and, for each diagonal bar, a tension bar also articulated on the transmission box and on the structure, the corresponding lever being articulated to the structure being articulated to at least pivot on the lower end part of the corresponding tension bar, which is flexible in tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Eurocopter
    Inventor: Nicolas Certain
  • Patent number: 6164908
    Abstract: A gas turbine first-stage stator blade sealing structure for preventing the sealing air from leaking from the inside even if the blade falls or inclines due to thermal stress. A rear flange (12) of a first-stage stator blade (31) is formed in an arcuate shape having a straight rib (10). A stator blade support ring (13) contacts the straight rib (10) to form a sealing face. When the rear flange (12) and the stator blade support ring (13) fall or incline relative to each other due to thermal stress during operation, the upper end or lower end of the rib (10) contacts linearly with the face of the stator blade support ring (13) so that no clearance is established to inhibit leakage of the sealing air. In the prior art, where the horizontal rib (10) is absent, an arcuate clearance is established between the stator blade support ring (13) and the rear flange (12) as the support ring (13) inclines, and thus sealing air is allowed to leak from the inside to the gas passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Miki Nishida, Taku Ichiryu, Koichi Akagi, Hiroki Shibata, Tadakazu Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 6164187
    Abstract: A spring brake actuator (10), with a first spring brake chamber (76) filled with compressed air and a second spring brake chamber (78) housing a large-force compression spring (82), includes an elastomeric diaphragm (74) having a centrally-disposed aperture (90) separating the first and second spring brake chambers (76 and 78). The elastomeric diaphragm (74) is compressed at a peripheral edge (138) between housing sections (66, 68) and at a collar (140), which is adjacent the centrally-disposed aperture (90), between a ring-shaped retainer (142) and at least one of an actuator rod, a pressure plate (92), and an annular recess (144) in a pressure plate (92). In one embodiment, the retainer (142) includes an annular channel (154) having an inner rim (150), an outer rim (152), and a base (156). Evenly-spaced flanges (146) radiate axially from, and are separated by slots (148) on, the inner rim (150).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Holland Neway International, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven M. Stojic
  • Patent number: 6162013
    Abstract: An arrangement to regulate the flow of steam extracted intermediately from a steam turbine and to induce a steam flow, between separate turbine parts, in a direction that is essentially axial with respect to the rotational direction of the turbine rotor. The steam turbine consists of two turbine parts separated by a partition wall and has an intermediate steam extraction outlet located between the first turbine part and the partition wall. Steam may pass between the two turbine parts through a passage, within the partition wall, having an externally controlled valve used to regulate the steam flow. The valve is configured to reduce the external force needed to control its position. Together, the valve and passage are configured to minimize the pressure loss and turbulence of the steam flow as it passes between the two turbine parts so that the steam flow pressure on the second turbine part is maximized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: ABB Stal AB
    Inventor: Lars Kallberg
  • Patent number: 6162017
    Abstract: A stand alone blood pump which can be used with different types of oxygenators or extra corporeal circuits during surgery. After use the pump is easily detachable from its drive motor to enable a new blood pump to be mounted for the next operation. The pump impeller includes vanes at the base which extend at an angle to the plane of rotation and smoothly merge along a common plane with a plurality of helical fingers respectively. The width of the helical fingers gradually diminishes from the vanes to their extremities which are angularly spaced from each other at the pump inlet. The helical fingers flow the blood helically about the impeller axis to the vanes which then centrifugally flow the blood to the pump outlet tangentially of the pump housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Cardiovascular Innovations LLC
    Inventor: Donald A. Raible
  • Patent number: 6158326
    Abstract: In order that in a unit, which consists of an electric motor and a machine driven by the electric motor, a mounting support of the electric motor and the machine which is inexpensive and saves mounting space be achieved by simple means, the drive shaft (4) of the electric motor (1) and the supporting axle (10) of the machine (2) are separately designed and a three-ring bearing (11) including an intermediate eccentric ring (13) is arranged on the supporting axle (10), wherein the intermediate ring (13) is positively and/or operatively connected to the drive shaft (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignees: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG, FAG Automobiltechnik AG
    Inventors: Jochen Burgdorf, Heinrich Hofmann