Patents by Inventor Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow

Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow 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: 7168918
    Abstract: A cooling fan comprises a rotor configured to generate airflow. The cooling fan further comprises an outlet guide vane adapted to receive the airflow generated by the rotor and to orient the airflow in a substantially axial direction relative to the rotor. The cooling fan further comprises a diffuser configured to receive the airflow from the outlet guide vane and produce airflow with higher static pressure relative to an inlet of the diffuser. The cooling fan produces a work coefficient greater than 1.6 and a flow coefficient greater than or equal to 0.4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Chellappa Balan, John Jared Decker, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow
  • Patent number: 7090464
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for ordering blades in a rotatable machine is provided. The machine includes a plurality of blades that extend radially outwardly from a rotor. The method includes determining a moment weight of each blade in a row of blades, determining a geometric parameter of each blade in the same row of blades, and determining a mapping order of each blade using the moment weight and the geometric parameter. The apparatus includes a computer system that includes a software product code segment for minimizing imbalance in a bladed rotor wherein the segment is configured to receive a moment weight value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, receive a geometric parameter value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, calculate a blade location on the rotor based on the received values, and generate a blade map based on the calculated location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Richard Henning, John Douglas Mickol, Daniel Edward Mollmann, Michael Harvey Schneider, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Max Farson
  • Publication number: 20060153684
    Abstract: A method, rotor assembly, and apparatus for ordering blades in a rotatable machine is provided. The rotor assembly includes a disk including a plurality of circumferentially-spaced blade root slots defined therein, and a plurality of blades, each blade including a root, a tip, and an airfoil therebetween, each blade positioned within a pre-determined slot based on a blade map, the blade map generated by a computer system configured to receive a geometric parameter measurement of each blade in a row of blades, determine a shape factor for the row of blades using the geometric parameter measurement of each blade, and determine a sequence map of each blade using the shape factor for the row of blades.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2005
    Publication date: July 13, 2006
    Inventors: Thomas Henning, John Mickol, Daniel Mollmann, Michael Schneider, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Timothy Horejs
  • Publication number: 20060088428
    Abstract: A cooling fan comprises a rotor configured to generate airflow. The cooling fan further comprises an outlet guide vane adapted to receive the airflow generated by the rotor and to orient the airflow in a substantially axial direction relative to the rotor. The cooling fan further comprises a diffuser configured to receive the airflow from the outlet guide vane and produce airflow with higher static pressure relative to an inlet of the diffuser. The cooling fan produces a work coefficient greater than 1.6 and a flow coefficient greater than or equal to 0.4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Publication date: April 27, 2006
    Inventors: Chellappa Balan, John Decker, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow
  • Publication number: 20060013692
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for ordering blades in a rotatable machine is provided. The machine includes a plurality of blades that extend radially outwardly from a rotor. The method includes determining a moment weight of each blade in a row of blades, determining a geometric parameter of each blade in the same row of blades, and determining a mapping order of each blade using the moment weight and the geometric parameter. The apparatus includes a computer system that includes a software product code segment for minimizing imbalance in a bladed rotor wherein the segment is configured to receive a moment weight value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, receive a geometric parameter value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, calculate a blade location on the rotor based on the received values, and generate a blade map based on the calculated location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2004
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Inventors: Thomas Henning, John Mickol, Daniel Mollmann, Michael Schneider, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Max Farson
  • Patent number: 6561761
    Abstract: A compressor flowpath includes circumferentially spaced apart airfoils having axially spaced apart leading and trailing edges and radially spaced apart outer and inner ends. An outer wall bridges the airfoil outer ends, and an inner wall bridges the inner ends. One of the walls includes a flute adjacent the leading edges for locally increasing flow area thereat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John J. Decker, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow
  • Patent number: 6554569
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine outlet guide vane assembly has annular inner and outer end walls, a flowpath between the inner and outer end walls, outlet guide vanes radially disposed between the inner and outer end walls, and boundary layer energizing means for energizing boundary layers using secondary flow to mix free stream flow into the boundary layers along the inner and outer end walls and suction and pressure sides of the vanes. The boundary layer energizing means includes having the vanes circumferentially leaned in a direction that the suction sides face. The boundary layer energizing means also includes swept leading and/or trailing edges of the vanes that extend radially between the inner and outer end walls. The swept leading and/or trailing edges may be curved inwardly into the vanes from the outer end walls to leading and/or trailing edge points respectively between the end walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John J. Decker, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Peter N. Szucs
  • Publication number: 20030035723
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine outlet guide vane assembly has annular inner and outer end walls, a flowpath between the inner and outer end walls, outlet guide vanes radially disposed between the inner and outer end walls, and boundary layer energizing means for energizing boundary layers using secondary flow to mix free stream flow into the boundary layers along the inner and outer end walls and suction and pressure sides of the vanes. The boundary layer energizing means includes having the vanes circumferentially leaned in a direction that the suction sides face. The boundary layer energizing means also includes swept leading and/or trailing edges of the vanes that extend radially between the inner and outer end walls. The swept leading and/or trailing edges may be curved inwardly into the vanes from the outer end walls to leading and/or trailing edge points respectively between the end walls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2001
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Inventors: John J. Decker, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Peter N. Szucs
  • Patent number: 6338609
    Abstract: A compressor casing includes an axially convex inner surface for surrounding a row of rotor blades with radial gaps therebetween. The tip of the blades complement the casing contour for reducing blade tip losses and flow blockage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John J. Decker, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow
  • Patent number: 6328533
    Abstract: An airfoil includes a leading edge chord barrel between a root and a tip, and forward aerodynamic sweep at the tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John J. Decker, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Gregory T. Steinmetz, Peter N. Szucs
  • Patent number: 6325595
    Abstract: A compressor air bleed assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a compressor casing surrounding a row of circumferentially spaced compressor blades and defining a flowpath for receiving compressor air flow compressed by the blades. The casing includes a bleed port disposed down stream of at least a row of the blades for receiving a portion of compressed air as bleed airflow. A bleed port, preferably in the form of an annular slot, extends away from the bleed port and has a first throat downstream of the port and a second throat downstream of the first throat. A first duct outlet in the duct leads to a first bleed air circuit, receives a first portion of the bleed airflow, and is disposed between the first and second throats. A second duct outlet in the duct leads to a second bleed air circuit, receives a second portion of the bleed circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Peter N. Szucs, Peter J. Wood
  • Patent number: 6146089
    Abstract: An abradable fan containment structure within a fan section of a turbofan engine is provided. The fan section of the turbofan engine has fan blades and an abradable fan shroud. The abradable fan shroud includes an inner fan casing circumscribing the fan blades such that the inner annular surface of the fan shroud is disposed adjacent the blade tips of the fan blades within the fan section. The inner annular surface is formed from an abradable material. The abradable material contour is substantially triangular along the axial length from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The abradable material has a contoured surface characterized by a trapezoidal shape after being worn when rubbed by the tips of the fan blades during operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Allen, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, Gary B. Manharth