Patents by Inventor Alan L. Webb

Alan L. Webb has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6186741
    Abstract: The flow of cooling fluid through a core tie hole formed between a pair of internal cooling passageways of an airfoil component is reduced by providing a restriction that meters coolant flow through the inlet passage of one of the passageways so that the pressures in the two passageways are equalized, thereby minimizing the flow of cooling fluid through the hole. The restriction can be a metering plate disposed at the entrance of the inlet passage or a restriction integrally formed in the inlet passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alan L. Webb, Anne M. Isburgh
  • Patent number: 5746578
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a rotor of a gas turbine engine having an axis of rotation including a root portion, a platform portion connected to the root portion and having a damper pocket formed therein, an airfoil portion connected to the platform portion, a generally bar-shaped damping member loosely arranged in the damper pocket having at least one scrubbing surface, and at least one leg extending from the bar-shaped damping member for retaining the bar-shaped damping member in the damper pocket. The bar-shaped damping member is slidably displaceable and rotatable within the damper pocket during rotation of the rotor. The damper pocket in the platform portion has a rear surface with an upper portion and a lower portion at an angle to the upper portion, a pair of spaced side surfaces, and a pair of spaced lower surfaces extending from the rear surface lower portion which are substantially coplanar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven R. Brassfield, Alan L. Webb
  • Patent number: 5630703
    Abstract: A cooling system for use in a rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine, the rotor assembly including an annular disk rotatable about a centerline axis of the engine and a plurality of blades mounted on the disk. The disk includes alternating posts and slots, with each slot receiving a blade dovetail. The cooling system comprises an axially extending plenum disposed inward of each blade dovetail and a thermal isolation chamber, formed by a seal body, disposed over the outer surface of each disk post. An annular forward blade retainer is attached to the disk and sealed with adjacent structures via inner and outer seals. Alternative structures are disclosed for diverting the cooling air from the plenums, past the inner and outer seals, and into the isolation chambers during operation of the engine so as to cool each disk point, without compromising the structural integrity of the forward blade retainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David G. Hendley, Steve R. Fledderjohn, Randall C. Bauer, Jonathon P. Clarke, Alan L. Webb
  • Patent number: 5215435
    Abstract: A labyrinth seal having a static honeycomb land and a toothed rotary land, an angled passage is formed in the honeycomb land to communicate cooling air from the static vane region of the interstage HP section of the turbine into the aft cavity which is bounded by the rotating stage two blade whereby the exiting cooling air will acquire a velocity component which is in the same direction as the rotating stage two blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alan L. Webb, Terry T. Eckert