Patents Examined by Michael Sehn
  • Patent number: 10308357
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to control pitch and twist of blades are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a twist input assembly driven by a drive shaft that drives a rotation of blades of a rotorcraft, the twist input assembly comprising a twist shaft, a first gear set driven by the drive shaft, and a first frequency controller to create a first rotational speed difference between a first gear of the first gear set and the drive shaft, the first rotational speed difference to cause the twist shaft to oscillate. The examples apparatus includes a pitch input assembly driven by the drive shaft, the pitch input assembly comprising a pitch link in communication with a first one of the blades of the rotorcraft, a second gear set driven by the drive shaft, and a second frequency controller to create a second rotational speed difference between a second gear of the second gear set and the drive shaft, the second rotational speed difference to cause the pitch link to oscillate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Ian M. Gunter, Thomas R. Kenow, Chris Jorgens
  • Patent number: 10240519
    Abstract: At least one of a variable turbine geometry and a variable compressor geometry for an exhaust gas turbocharger may include a housing including a first housing wall and a blade bearing ring having at least one guide blade rotatably mounted thereon. A control lever may be included for adjusting the at least one guide blade between a closing position and an opening position. An actuating shaft may be connected to the control lever in a rotationally fixed manner along a rotation axis. The actuating shaft may be rotatably mounted on the housing via a passage opening disposed in the first housing wall. The actuating shaft may directly support itself on the first housing wall in the passage opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: BMTS Technology GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Anatolij Martens, Volkhard Ammon
  • Patent number: 10227885
    Abstract: Provided is a turbine. One of a tip portion of a blade and a portion of a partition plate outer ring corresponding to the tip portion of the blade is provided with a step part having a step face that protrudes toward the other, and the other is provided with seal fins) extending out with respect to the step part and forming minute clearance between the step part and the other. The step part facing the seal fins is configured to protrude so that a cavity forming a main vortex and counter vortex being formed by the main vortex are formed on an upstream side of the seal fins. The cavity is formed so that an axial width dimension and a radial height dimension satisfy Formula expressed by 0.45?D/W?2.67.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Hiroharu Oyama, Yoshinori Tanaka, Asaharu Matsuo
  • Patent number: 10189558
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure are directed to a nacelle of an aircraft, comprising a surface that is profiled such that during cruise flight operation lines of constant static pressure of a boundary layer around the nacelle in a given region are substantially contained within a plane that is normal to an engine axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventor: Ann E. Khidekel
  • Patent number: 10180069
    Abstract: A turbine engine blade made of composite material including fiber reinforcement obtained by weaving a first plurality of yarns with a second plurality of yarns, the yarns of the first plurality of yarns being arranged in successive layers and extending in a longitudinal direction of the fiber blank corresponding to a longitudinal direction of the blade, the reinforcement being densified by a matrix. The blade includes one or more internal channels extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Dominique Coupe, Bruno Jacques Gerard Dambrine, Jean-Noel Mahieu
  • Patent number: 10167740
    Abstract: A turbine engine having a nacelle is provided. The nacelle includes, upstream, an air intake fairing and an element for deflecting foreign objects which defines with the fairing an air intake flow path for supplying air to two coaxial flow paths which are a radially inner flow path and a radially outer flow path. The outer flow path being is by a hub housing and scoops, the hub housing and the scoops being installed downstream of the element for deflecting objects. Each scoop includes two independent portions which are an upstream portion borne by the hub housing, and a downstream portion borne by the nacelle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Bruno Albert Beutin, Nuria Llamas Castro, Bruna Ramos
  • Patent number: 10167724
    Abstract: A turbine blade has an undercut beneath its platform proximate a trailing edge region. The undercut incorporates a curved portion to reduce to reduce undesirable stress concentration. The undercut shape includes a curved portion of decreasing radius with increasing distance from the underside of the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine LLC
    Inventor: James Page Strohl
  • Patent number: 10167853
    Abstract: A method for detecting damage of a wind turbine blade of a wind turbine rotor having at least one wind turbine blade comprises: a light incident step of allowing light to enter an optical fiber sensor being mounted on each of the wind turbine blade and having a diffraction grating part having a refractive index which is periodically varied in a longitudinal direction of the diffraction grating part; a light detection step of detecting reflected light from the diffraction grating part; an obtaining step of obtaining, from a temporal change of a wavelength of the reflected light received in the light receiving step, a wavelength variation index representing a variation amount of the wavelength; and a damage determination step of determining presence or absence of a damage of the wind turbine blade on the basis of the wavelength variation index calculated in the obtaining step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazunari Ide, Katsuhiko Takita, Takao Kuroiwa, Mitsuya Baba, Hiroshi Nishino, Takuya Koyanagi
  • Patent number: 10145253
    Abstract: A stator vane for a turbine machine includes a set of vane parts arranged relative to each other to define air flow stream paths between vane parts, and a mechanism circulating a fluid to be cooled by the air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventor: Nils Bordoni
  • Patent number: 10125624
    Abstract: An exhaust-gas section for a gas turbine, having a surrounding shroud having a first opening, which is arranged in a region of the exhaust-gas section that has a pressure lower than the air pressure of the outer environment of the gas turbine in an operating state of the gas turbine and which forms the outlet of an air channel, the inlet of which is connected to the outer environment of the gas turbine. The air channel has a chamber at the outlet-side end of the air channel, which chamber has a second opening, through which a specified gas mass flow is admitted into the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Michael Wagner
  • Patent number: 10100650
    Abstract: A process of depositing a ceramic coating on an airfoil component and the component formed thereby is provided. The process includes depositing a bond coat on an airfoil component including on a trailing edge region thereof that defines a trailing edge of the airfoil component, within holes located within the trailing edge region and spaced apart from the trailing edge, and on lands located within the trailing edge region and between the holes. A ceramic coating is then deposited on the bond coat including on the trailing edge region of the airfoil component, within the holes located within the trailing edge region, and on the lands between the holes. The ceramic coating within the holes is selectively removed without completely removing the ceramic coating on the trailing edge region and the lands between the holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Edward Mantkowski, John Maynard Crow, Shawn Michael Pearson, Stephen Mark Molter
  • Patent number: 10087764
    Abstract: An airfoil for a rotor blade or a stator vane of a gas turbine engine having a tip extension extending one or both of the suction and pressure side surfaces adjacent the tip. The tip extension defines a thickness at the tip larger than the true thickness of the airfoil. The tip extension includes a side transitional surface substantially defined along a curve extending tangentially from the corresponding side surface. The tip extension defines a gradual increase in the thickness over a portion of the airfoil having a radial dimension corresponding to at least 2 times the true thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Sean Rockarts, Peter Townsend
  • Patent number: 10054126
    Abstract: A casing includes a first plate made of a metal, a support made of a resin, and a second plate fixed to the support. The first plate includes a flat plate portion, a through hole passing through the flat plate portion, and a claw portion extending upward from an edge of the through hole. A portion of the support is located in the through hole. The support covers a portion of the claw portion such that the support is prevented from turning and from coming off in an upward direction. The claw portion is defined by a portion of the first plate extending along a longest line segment inside the through hole in a plan view being bent upward from the flat plate portion. This enables the claw portion to have a great length even in a small area of the first plate to securely fix the support to the first plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Honda, Tadaaki Fujinaga, Haruo Michishita
  • Patent number: 10047625
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine, a fan section for a gas turbine engine, and a method for assembling a fan section of a gas turbine engine are disclosed. The fan section may include a fan hub having a slot, a spinner having a castellated spinner seal, a fan blade including an airfoil extending from a root to a tip, wherein the airfoil has a leading edge and the root is received in the slot, and a platform secured to the fan hub and arranged between adjacent fan blades. The fan section may further include a flap seal having a base secured to a side of the platform, and a flap integral with and extending from the base portion and canted toward the root and engaging the blade, the seal trimmed back from the leading edge of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Royce E. Tatton
  • Patent number: 10024169
    Abstract: An engine component for a gas turbine engine includes a film-cooled substrate having a hot surface facing hot combustion gas flow and a cooling surface facing a cooling fluid flow. A film hole extends through the substrate to an outlet on the hot surface. A flow conditioning structure is provided downstream of the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10024179
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fixed diffuser vanes assembly (10) for guiding flow through a turbomachine, comprising an internal annular platform (12) and a plurality of fixed vanes (11) which are mounted on this platform, the internal platform comprising a support plate (121) forming the base of said vanes, a radial annular partition (120) extending from the support plate toward an axis of the vanes assembly, and an internal ring (122) attached to the radial annular partition and having an internal surface on which an abradable material (123) is arranged, the vanes assembly being characterized in that the internal ring comprises at least one cut-out (1223) delimiting a tongue (1226), the tongue being bent to press against the radial annular partition (120). The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a vanes assembly and to a turbomachine incorporating such vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Sebastien Congratel, Marion Chambre, Bruno Richard, Romain Roullet
  • Patent number: 10024336
    Abstract: A compressor for a turbine engine, including: a casing, at least one compressor stage including an impeller having stationary blades and an impeller having moving blades positioned downstream of the stationary blade impeller, and cavities in a thickness of the casing that are disposed along a circumference of the casing opposite the moving blades. The cavities, which are elongate and extend along a main direction of orientation, are closed upstream and downstream by upstream and downstream faces respectively, and an upstream border and a downstream border are formed at the intersections between same and the casing. The cavities are offset in relation to the moving blades to overlap the moving blade impeller in the upstream portion, thereby covering the upstream end thereof. The downstream border of the cavities is oriented parallel to the chord at the head of the moving blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Thierry Jean-Jacques Obrecht, Celine Ghilardi, Vincent Perrot
  • Patent number: 9995274
    Abstract: The invention concerns a rotor hub of a wind power installation comprising a handling apparatus for lifting the rotor hub by means of a crane for mounting the rotor hub to a pod arranged on a wind power installation pylon, wherein the handling apparatus is so adapted that upon being lifted at a fixing portion of the handling apparatus the rotor hub rotates from a perpendicular orientation with a substantially perpendicular hub axis into a horizontal orientation with a substantially horizontal hub axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Wobben Properties GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Knoop, Gerrit Kuiper
  • Patent number: 9995168
    Abstract: A hover aircraft rotor having a hub which rotates about an axis and has a number of blades; a drive shaft connectable to a drive member of the aircraft and connected functionally to the hub to rotate the hub about the axis; and damping means for damping vibration transmitted to the shaft, and which include a mass designed to oscillate, in use, to oppose transmission to the shaft of vibration generated by rotation of the blades; the mass being free to oscillate parallel to the axis, to oppose transmission to the shaft of vibration having main components along the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: AGUSTAWESTLAND S.P.A.
    Inventor: Attilio Colombo
  • Patent number: 9989070
    Abstract: According to one aspect, an air cycle machine includes a fan rotor, a diffuser cone axially aligned with the fan rotor, and a strut plate assembly. The strut plate assembly includes a first strut plate and a second strut plate with an ejector formed between the first strut plate and the second strut plate. The first strut plate is axially positioned between the fan rotor and the ejector, and the second strut plate is axially positioned between the fan rotor and the diffuser cone. The first strut plate includes a plurality of outer struts and is absent inner struts between the fan rotor and the ejector. The second strut plate includes a plurality of inner struts and outer struts, where the inner struts are axially positioned between the ejector and the diffuser cone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Craig M. Beers, Harold W. Hipsky