Patents Examined by Jesse Prager
  • Compressor intake noise prevention by choking flow with duct geometry
    Patent number: 9181961
    Abstract: A number of variations may include a product for use with a turbocharger system may include a compressor wheel for charging a flow stream. A housing may be disposed around the compressor wheel, defining an inlet passage and a discharge passage. The flow stream may extend through the inlet passage, around the compressor wheel and through the outlet passage. The inlet passage may be configured to impart a supersonic speed to the flow stream to inhibit sound from propagating against the flow stream through the inlet passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventors: Evan Lucas, Sean Hastings
  • Gas turbine engine compressor stator seal
    Patent number: 9169849
    Abstract: A compressor section for use in a gas turbine engine has a plurality of compressor stages. Each compressor stage is provided with a rotor hub, and each rotor hub mounts a plurality of compressor blades. A rotor drum extends between adjacent rotor hubs. A plurality of stator stages have an outer ring and a radially inner ring. A plurality of vanes extend between the outer and inner rings. An inner surface of the inner ring is spaced by a gap from an outer surface of the rotor drum. The rotor drum is provided with a plurality of blades having a general airfoil shape to resist leakage across the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Eric J. Ward
  • Systems and methods for altering inlet airflow of gas turbine engines
    Patent number: 9169779
    Abstract: Systems and methods for altering airflow to gas turbine engines are provided. In this regard, a representative system includes a gas turbine engine inlet having a slat, the slat being movable between a retracted position and an extended position. In the extended position, the slat increases an effective diameter of the inlet compared to the diameter of the inlet when in the retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corp.
    Inventor: Michael Winter
  • Turbine wheel fitted with an axial retaining ring that locks the blades relative to a disk
    Patent number: 9163520
    Abstract: A turbine wheel having an axis of rotation and including: a disk having a periphery and a side face; a plurality of blades assembled on the disk, each blade having a blade root and a first hook oriented radially and defining a first groove that opens radially towards the axis of rotation of the turbine wheel. The disk includes a series of second hooks oriented radially and defining a second groove that opens radially towards the axis of rotation of the turbine wheel. An axial retaining ring for placing in the first and second grooves includes a tab for placing between two adjacent blade roots to limit movements of the ring in azimuth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: TURBOMECA
    Inventors: Damien Chauveau, Jean-Luc Sahores
  • Dual-flow turbomachine for aircraft, including structural means of rigidifying the central casing
    Patent number: 9157334
    Abstract: A turbomachine for an aircraft including a mechanism forming a case fitted in a rear extension of an inner ferrule of an intermediate casing, and positioned around a central casing. The mechanism includes a structural upstream ferrule assembled on the inner ferrule and defining a front portion of a surface internally delimiting a secondary vein, and a main case extending on the upstream ferrule towards the rear. The turbomachine further includes a structural mechanism rigidifying the central casing, surrounded by the case, and extending towards the rear between the upstream ferrule and the central casing on which these mechanisms are assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Audrey Grede, Jacky Raphael Michel Derenes, Clarisse Savine Mathilde Reaux, Guilhem Seize
  • Rotatable component, coating and method of coating the rotatable component of an engine
    Patent number: 9145787
    Abstract: A rotatable engine component, coating and method of coating the rotatable component includes a substrate, a transitional zone applied to the substrate, and an abradable zone applied to the transitional zone. During operation of an engine in a turbine, the abradable zone is consumed upon contact with a static portion of the engine preventing damage to the rotatable component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Gabriel Della-Fera, Thomas Moors
  • Impingement plate for damping and cooling shroud assembly inter segment seals
    Patent number: 9145789
    Abstract: An impingement plate is cooperable with a shroud assembly. The shroud assembly includes an outer shroud and plural inner shrouds with seals between the plural inner shrouds, respectively. The impingement plate includes a trailing edge portion, a leading edge portion and a mid portion between the trailing edge portion and the leading edge portion. A plurality of impingement holes are formed across an area of the impingement plate, and a cooling and damping section includes at least one channel that is shaped to accelerate cooling flow through the impingement plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Siva Ram Surya Sanyasi Adavikolanu, Ajay Gangadhar Patil, Debdulal Das, Richa Singh
  • Method, systems, and apparatuses for transition piece contouring
    Patent number: 9127553
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are apparatuses, methods, and systems for transition piece contouring. In an embodiment, a high thermal stress section of a transition piece and a low thermal stress section of a transition piece is a determined. The low thermal stress section of the transition piece may be contoured to intercept hot gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard Martin DiCintio, Patrick Benedict Melton, Lucas John Stoia
  • Non-interrupted turbomachine fluid supply
    Patent number: 9127567
    Abstract: An exemplary fluid supply system for use on a turbomachine includes a turbomachine fluid container having a moveable barrier. A pressurized fluid is delivered to one side of the moveable barrier, and an opposing side of the flexible barrier communicates with a source of lubricant. Pressurized fluid is selectively delivered to the one side to move the moveable barrier between a flow-permitting position that permits flow from the source of lubricant to the turbomachine fluid container and a flow-restricting position that restricts flow from the source of lubricant to the turbomachine fluid container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: David L. Motto
  • Turbocharger and turbocharger wheel housing
    Patent number: 9121281
    Abstract: A turbine housing 11 includes a first shell body 40 in which a reinforcement portion 42 is superposed on an outer peripheral face 53A of a lateral wall portion 53 of a scroll portion. Further, a reinforcement portion having a slit portion 43 that is partially discontinuous in a circumferential direction is provided as the reinforcement portion 42. Further, a shell body 30 and a base body 60 are combined with each other such that a pillar portion 65 is so located as to intersect with those ones of tangential lines T1, T2 of a turbine wheel 21 which pass a thin-walled portion 32A of the shell body 30, namely, such that the pillar portion 65 is located in a travel path of a fragment of the wheel 21 moving from a main body of the wheel 21 toward the thin-walled portion 32A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Sadamitsu, Tatsuo Iida
  • Fan bearing retaining structure
    Patent number: 9097260
    Abstract: A fan bearing retaining structure includes a base and a ring member. The base has a bearing cup projected from one side thereof, and the bearing cup internally defines an axial bore for receiving a bearing therein. The ring member is fitted around an outer side of the bearing cup and defines an opening, such that an inner side of the opening tightly contacts with the outer side of the bearing cup to apply a radially inward compression toward the axial bore. With these arrangements, a portion of the axial bore corresponding to the ring member fitted around the bearing cup has a reduced inner diameter to thereby effectively retain the bearing in the bearing cup, enabling a fan to be manufactured at reduced cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Asia Vital Components Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chu-Hsien Chou, Shao-Jun Hong
  • Rotor blade for a wind turbine, and a combination of a radar station and a wind turbine
    Patent number: 9062658
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a wind turbine includes a casing structure made of flat fiber composite material that forms the rotor blade surface. To reduce interferences to radar systems caused by the use of the rotor blade, at least at the leading edge and the trailing edge of the rotor blade is provided with a fiber composite material is designed for providing a frequency-dependent radar reflection factor for radar radiation that is incident perpendicular to the surface and which has a reflection minimum at a given frequency in the range of 1 GHz to 10 GHz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Joachim Bettermann
  • Twisted gas turbine engine airfoil having a twisted rib
    Patent number: 9057276
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade (20), including: an airfoil (24) including a pressure side exterior surface (34), a suction side exterior surface (36), and a first rib (130) spanning between the pressure side exterior surface and the suction side exterior surface. The airfoil (24) is twisted from a base end (30) of the airfoil to a tip end (32) of the airfoil. The first rib is twisted from a base end of the first rib to a tip end of the first rib. The pressure side exterior surface, the suction side exterior surface, and the first rib are cast as a monolith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Ching-Pang Lee
  • Integrated fan
    Patent number: 9057384
    Abstract: An integrated fan includes a centrifugal blade unit and a frame. The centrifugal blade unit has a hub. The frame is used for accommodating the centrifugal blade unit. The frame includes a first casing, a second casing and at least one airflow-guiding plate. The first casing includes a main plate and an airflow inlet, wherein the airflow inlet is disposed in the main plate and aligned with the hub. The second casing is opposed to the main plate of the first casing. The at least one airflow-guiding plate is aslant and externally extended from an edge of the main plate. The airflow-guiding plate, the first casing and the second casing collectively define an airflow output channel. An included angle between an airflow-leaving direction of the airflow output channel and an airflow-entering direction of the airflow inlet is ranged between 90 and 180 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Lee-Long Chen, Zse-Hsin Wang, Chien-Hsiung Huang
  • Wind power generator and yaw bearing replacement method for a wind power generator
    Patent number: 9057360
    Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a wind power generator whose yaw bearing can be replaced by a simple device. A wind power generator has a nacelle, a tower that supports the nacelle at a high location, a yaw bearing that is located between a first bearing seat that is provided on the bottom section of the nacelle and a second bearing seat that is provided on the top section of the tower, first and second jack seats that extend to the outer diameter side of the first and second bearing seats, a jack-up unit that is located between the first and second jack seats so that there is a space though which the yaw bearing can be removed or installed in the radial direction of the yaw bearing, and that can jack up the nacelle, and a suspension unit that is provided on the nacelle and that can move while suspending the yaw bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ikuo Tobinaga
  • Portable hydroelectric kinetic energy conversion device
    Patent number: 9051913
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a crosscurrent tacking portable hydrokinetic energy conversion hydrofoil useful for generating electricity in moderate velocity currents and especially useful for rapid deployment and removal from a land base, boat or dock. The device comprises a buoyant and ballasted semi-cylindrical shroud containing a turbine rotor, annular cylindrical wing, a linear expansion nozzle, an alternator with linkages to a turbine shaft, an insulated conductor cable and tether lines. Hydrofoil elements enable the device to tack into a stream and hold a stable position. A system using two tether lines, each with one end connected to the device are fed into a stream to a desired distance from a surface base and are subsequently individually tensioned and fixed to a point on the base, stabilizing the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Inventor: Fred John Feiler
  • Turbomachine component machining method
    Patent number: 9052707
    Abstract: An exemplary component manufacturing method includes scanning a first surface of a component to determine a location of pocket surfaces of the first surface. The method machines apertures in the component from a second, opposite surface of the component. The apertures each have a cooling air inlet within one of the pocket surfaces and a cooling air outlet within the first surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: John Quitter
  • Wall of turbo machine and turbo machine
    Patent number: 9051840
    Abstract: The invention relates to wall of a turbo machine having a cascade of blades. The wall includes: a first platform facing a first passage between blades in the cascade of blades; and a second platform facing a second passage between adjacent cascade of blades on an upstream side and cascade of blades on a downstream side, and having a circumferential outline having a distribution of radial positions. According to the invention, loss due to disturbance of flow through the gap of axially adjacent walls can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignees: IHI CORPORATION, THE SOCIETY OF JAPANESE AEROSPACE COMPANIES
    Inventors: Katsunori Mitsuhashi, Akira Takahashi, Hiroshi Hamazaki, Ruriko Yamawaki
  • Counter-rotating open-rotor (CROR)
    Patent number: 9051044
    Abstract: A method of controlling a Counter-Rotating Open-Rotor (CROR) includes measuring a speed of a first rotor and deriving a speed of a second rotor and controlling a pitch of the first rotor and the second rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Eric J. Talasco, Paul A. Carvalho, David R. Danielson, Robert H. Perkinson
  • Development of a new tower cabling
    Patent number: 9051920
    Abstract: A cable suspension arrangement includes a first suspension means for suspending the first plurality of cables at a nacelle; a second suspension means which is attachable to the nacelle; a second plurality of spacer plates each including a suspension hole and each including a third plurality of cable through-holes; wherein the second suspension means is led through the suspension holes; a fixing means for fixing the spacer plates at different positions on the second suspension means such that they can at least not lower their respective position; wherein the cables can be slidably led through the through-holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: AMSC Austria GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Prebio