Patents by Inventor Christian J. Rahnke
Christian J. Rahnke 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).
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Patent number: 4780049Abstract: A compressor with a rotary driven centrifugal impeller which receives inlet air from an inlet passageway and this discharges compressed air through a radially extending diffuser passageway. Moveable vanes are provided both in the inlet passageway and diffuser passageway for varying the pressure and flow output from the compressor while maintaining the rotary speed of the centrifugal impeller substantially constant. In the preferred form of the invention, the centrifugal impeller and an electrical generator are rotatably driven at a constant speed and in synchronism with each other and, together, form an electrical and pneumatic power system.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 1986Date of Patent: October 25, 1988Inventors: Lynn D. Palmer, David R. Donaldson, Donald L. Carriere, Christian J. Rahnke, Rogelio G. Samson, Antoni Paluszny
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Patent number: 4510754Abstract: An internal combustion engine has an air-fuel mixture compressed through operation of a turbocharger whose turbine is driven by the exhaust gas from the engine and whose compressor is driven by the turbine. The pressure within the intake manifold is used to produce a signal by means of which the winding of a solenoid-operated direction valve is energized. A flapper valve located within the exhaust gas manifold opens and closes passages within the turbine casing through operation of the solenoid valve. A piston actuates the flapper valve in accordance with intake manifold pressure. Exhaust gas is directed either entirely at high speed through a first passage or at low speed through a second passage, the cross sectional area of the first passage being substantially less than that of the second passage.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 1983Date of Patent: April 16, 1985Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventor: Christian J. Rahnke
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Patent number: 4406125Abstract: A supercharger has a high pressure engine exhaust gas passage, a control gas duct communicating with the high pressure passage and a valve for opening and closing communication between the high pressure passage and the control gas duct. A turbine rotor is mounted at one end of driveshaft; a compressor rotor is mounted at the opposite axial end. Air at ambient conditions is admitted to the compressor rotor which is driven through the driveshaft from the turbine. The air is compressed and pumped into the intake manifold of a spark ignition engine. The valve operates to increase the flow rate of control gas at low engine speeds and to decrease the flow rate of control gas at high engine speeds. The control gas enters the mainstream of exhaust gas that flows in the turbine inlet duct thus restricting the area of the inlet duct when engine speed is low and increasing the exhaust gas flow rate when engine speed is high.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 1981Date of Patent: September 27, 1983Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventor: Christian J. Rahnke
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Patent number: 4369020Abstract: A wave compression turbocharger has a rotor journalled for rotation about its axis, a first housing, through which air at ambient conditions is admitted to the rotor and from which compressed air is discharged from the rotor. Mounted at one axial end of the rotor, a ceramic port plate has inlet and outlet passages through which exhaust gas enters and exits the rotor. A ceramic spacer extends along the length of the rotor and positions the port plate with respect to the adjacent rotor face and with respect to the first housing. An exhaust gas housing, mechanically joined to the first housing, encapsulates the rotor and the spacer. A preloaded spring applies a clamping force to the spacer holding it in contact with the first housing and accommodates the differences in thermal expansion between the rotor and the exhaust gas housing.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 1980Date of Patent: January 18, 1983Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventor: Christian J. Rahnke
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Patent number: 4360316Abstract: A supercharger for compressing air supplied to an engine, wherein the energy of the exhaust gas is used to increase the pressure of the air admitted to the engine, has a rotor with radially extending vanes that define a plurality of rotating cells therebetween. Exhaust gas inlet and outlet ports at one axial end of the rotor and air inlet and outlet ports at the opposite end of the rotor admit engine exhaust gas and ambient air to the rotor cells and permit the flow of exhaust gas and compressed air from the rotor cells. The inlet and exhaust ports of the exhaust gas port plate are correspondingly equal in size and symmetrically disposed around the rotor circumference. The inlet and exhaust ports of the air port plate are unsymmetrically arranged around the rotor circumference and are of unequal size. A first air inlet port has an air outlet port associated with a first compression cycle. The second air inlet port has an air outlet port associated with the second compression cycle.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 1980Date of Patent: November 23, 1982Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventor: Christian J. Rahnke
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Patent number: 4360317Abstract: A supercharger for compressing air supplied to an engine, wherein the energy of the exhaust gas is used to increase the pressure of the air admitted to the engine, has a rotor with radially extending vanes that define a plurality of rotating cells therebetween. Exhaust gas inlet and outlet ports at one axial end of the rotor and air inlet and outlet ports at the opposite end of the rotor admit engine exhaust gas and ambient air to the rotor cells and permit the flow of exhaust gas and compressed air from the rotor cells. The inlet and exhaust ports of the exhaust gas port plate are correspondingly equal in size and symmetrically disposed around the rotor circumference. The inlet and exhaust ports of the air port plate are unsymmetrically arranged around the rotor circumference and are of unequal size.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 1980Date of Patent: November 23, 1982Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventors: James K. Vallance, Christian J. Rahnke
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Patent number: 4256172Abstract: A ceramic regenerator core of cylindrical configuration adapted to be mounted in a gas turbine engine for rotation about its geometric axis comprising a honeycomb matrix that accommodates the flow of hot exhaust gases in an axial direction through one segment of the matrix and the flow of cool intake air through another segment of the matrix as the core is rotated, the matrix passages being formed by contiguous parallelogram shape passages, the principal diagonal for each passage generally parallel to the direction of maximum stress in the core whereby a maximum degree of thermal stress resistance is achieved thus reducing the possibility of fracture of the matrix material.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 1979Date of Patent: March 17, 1981Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventors: Christian J. Rahnke, Jeffrey A. Cook
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Patent number: 4170620Abstract: A process for making and assembling a rotary regenerator comprising a ceramic core adapted to rotate upon its central axis and a ring gear surrounding the periphery of the core for purposes of driving the core rotatably including preparing and forming a yieldable compliant ring sandwiched between the ring gear and the periphery of the core to prevent stresses in the core caused by differential rates of expansion of the core and the ring during operation of the regenerator in a gas turbine engine and during processing of the regenerator and the regenerator drive ring.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 1977Date of Patent: October 9, 1979Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventors: V. Durga Nageswar Rao, Christian J. Rahnke, Carlo A. Fucinari, James K. Vallance
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Patent number: 4150085Abstract: A process for making and assembling a rotary regenerator comprising a ceramic core adapted to rotate upon its central axis and a ring gear surrounding the periphery of the core for purposes of driving the core rotatably including preparing and forming a yieldable compliant ring sandwiched between the ring gear and the periphery of the core to prevent stresses in the core caused by differential rates of expansion of the core and the ring during operation of the regenerator in a gas turbine engine and during processing of the regenerator and the regenerator drive ring.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 1978Date of Patent: April 17, 1979Assignee: Ford Motor CompanyInventors: V. Durga Nageswar Rao, Carlo A. Fucinari, Christian J. Rahnke, James K. Vallance