Patents by Inventor Bernard Arthur Couture

Bernard Arthur Couture 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: 6786698
    Abstract: A turbine bucket is disclosed which includes a dovetail for mounting the bucket within the turbine, a parallelogram-shaped platform connected to the dovetail, a parallelogram-shaped shroud, and an airfoil connected between the platform and the shroud. The platform includes an inner flowpath surface at which a first end of the airfoil intersects with the platform the inner flowpath surface being parallelogram-shaped and formed from a first inclined plane and a second inclined plane that meet at a first common boundary and form a first ridge or valley, boundary bisecting the inner flowpath surface, the shroud including an outer flowpath surface at which the second end of the airfoil intersects the shroud, the outer flowpath surface being parallelogram-shaped and formed from a third inclined plane and a fourth inclined plane that meet at a second common boundary and form a second ridge or valley, second common boundary bisecting the outer flowpath surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Craig M. Warner, Bernard Arthur Couture, Jr., John Cleland Lavash, Ronald Wayne Korzun
  • Publication number: 20040120813
    Abstract: A method for assembling a turbine, wherein the method includes coupling at least one nozzle assembly including an outer band, an inner band, a nozzle, and a dovetail, to a stator that includes a plurality of dovetail slots and channels defined therein, slidably coupling the at least one nozzle assembly into a respective dovetail slot, and fixedly securing the at least one nozzle assembly to the stator with a load pin that extends between the nozzle assembly and the dovetail slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Bernard Arthur Couture, Ronald Wayne Korzun
  • Publication number: 20040120823
    Abstract: A turbine bucket is disclosed which includes a dovetail for mounting the bucket within the turbine, a parallelogram-shaped platform connected to the dovetail, a parallelogram-shaped shroud, and an airfoil connected between the platform and the shroud. The platform includes an inner flowpath surface at which a first end of the airfoil intersects with the platform the inner flowpath surface being parallelogram-shaped and formed from a first inclined plane and a second inclined plane that meet at a first common boundary and form a first ridge or valley, boundary bisecting the inner flowpath surface, the shroud including an outer flowpath surface at which the second end of the airfoil intersects the shroud, the outer flowpath surface being parallelogram-shaped and formed from a third inclined plane and a fourth inclined plane that meet at a second common boundary and form a second ridge or valley, second common boundary bisecting the outer flowpath surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2002
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Inventors: Craig M. Warner, Bernard Arthur Couture, John Cleland Lavash, Ronald Wayne Korzun
  • Publication number: 20040086383
    Abstract: Nozzles for a turbine have dovetail-shaped bases for reception in corresponding dovetail-shaped grooves in the carrier halves of a turbine. The nozzles at each of the horizontal joint faces of each carrier half have notches formed along their bases including an abutment face. Key slots are formed in the horizontal joint faces and receive keys bearing against the abutment faces. The keys are peened or screwed into the carrier half at the horizontal joint faces. Radial loading pins engage the end nozzle bases to bias the end nozzles radially inwardly without interfering with the keys retaining the nozzles in the grooves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Inventors: Bernard Arthur Couture, David Orus Fitts, Ronald Wayne Korzun, James David Schuhl
  • Patent number: 6722848
    Abstract: Nozzles for a turbine have dovetail-shaped bases for reception in corresponding dovetail-shaped grooves in the carrier halves of a turbine. The nozzles at each of the horizontal joint faces of each carrier half have notches formed along their bases including an abutment face. Key slots are formed in the horizontal joint faces and receive keys bearing against the abutment faces. The keys are peened or screwed into the carrier half at the horizontal joint faces. Radial loading pins engage the end nozzle bases to bias the end nozzles radially inwardly without interfering with the keys retaining the nozzles in the grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bernard Arthur Couture, David Orus Fitts, Ronald Wayne Korzun, James David Schuhl
  • Patent number: 6334310
    Abstract: A combustion liner and cooling sleeve assembly for a turbine combustor includes a substantially cylindrical combustion liner; and a substantially cylindrical outer cooling sleeve surrounding at least an axial portion of the combustion liner; wherein the outer cooling sleeve is secured to the combustion liner by a weld at one end of the cooling sleeve at its aft end, with a predetermined radial gap therebetween, the gap determined by respective operating temperatures and thermal expansion coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Maz Sutcu, Bernard Arthur Couture, Sami Aslam
  • Patent number: 6112971
    Abstract: A brazing process is provided that addresses the braze joint failure problems encountered in some multi-nozzle combustion end covers. The brazing process embodying the invention provides optimal, predictable low cycle fatigue joint life in particular when brazing 304L stainless steel parts using Amdry 915 braze alloy. The invention was realized in particular in the combination of and application of tightly controlled vital variables of gap, braze alloy, braze peak temperature hold time, cooling (quench) rate, surface finish and braze media to optimal limits for the process parameters. The process provides robust/reliable design limits for braze joints experiencing stress during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventors: Dean Henry Castaldo, Bernard Arthur Couture, Anne Elizabeth Kolman, David Robert Schumacher