Patents by Inventor James Michael Forrester

James Michael Forrester 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: 6860722
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade root shim includes a dovetail shim portion with a dovetail shape and a longitudinally extending substantially flat base and distal first and second longitudinally spaced apart forward and aft ends. Transversely spaced apart first and second walls extend upwardly from the base which includes at least two longitudinally extending elongated base apertures. Each of the base apertures includes a main region and longitudinally spaced apart rounded end regions. Dog-bone-shaped base apertures or rounded end base apertures having semi-circular rounded end regions may be used. The shim is designed for a blade dovetail root with a root slot formed in a bottom of the dovetail root. The dovetail shim portion with the dovetail shape substantially conforms to at least a portion of a cross-sectional dovetail shape of the dovetail root through the root slot. The base is disposed within the root slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Michael Forrester, Emily Anne Clausing, Robert Russell Grant, John Gregory Cargill, Craig William Higgins
  • Publication number: 20040151590
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade root shim includes a dovetail shim portion with a dovetail shape and a longitudinally extending substantially flat base and distal first and second longitudinally spaced apart forward and aft ends. Transversely spaced apart first and second walls extend upwardly from the base which includes at least two longitudinally extending elongated base apertures. Each of the base apertures includes a main region and longitudinally spaced apart rounded end regions. Dog-bone-shaped base apertures or rounded end base apertures having semicircular rounded end regions may be used. The shim is designed for a blade dovetail root with a root slot formed in a bottom of the dovetail root. The dovetail shim portion with the dovetail shape substantially conforms to at least a portion of a cross-sectional dovetail shape of the dovetail root through the root slot. The base is disposed within the root slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventors: James Michael Forrester, Emily Anne Clausing, Robert Russell Grant, John Gregory Cargill, Craig William Higgins
  • Patent number: 6634863
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor disk has a number of annular hubs circumscribed about a centerline and each of the hubs is connected to a disk rim by a web. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart circular arc dovetail slots are disposed through the rim. Circumferentially extending annular burst slots extend radially through the rim into the dovetail slots between each adjacent pair of the webs. The fan blades have circular arc dovetail roots disposed within the circumferentially spaced apart circular arc dovetail slots. A one piece spinner attached to a forward extension of the disk at a location between a tip and an axially aft spinner end of the spinner. Non-integral platforms circumferentially disposed between the fan blades. A booster spool is connected to the rotor disk by a mounting plate therebetween and the platforms are radially retained to the disk and mounting plates by pins through holes in mounting lugs depending radially inwardly from the platforms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Michael Forrester, Joseph Timothy Stevenson, Jeffrey Clayton Potter, Sean Joel Corrigan
  • Patent number: 6520742
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor disk has a number of annular hubs circumscribed about a centerline and each of the hubs is connected to a disk rim by a web. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart dovetail slots are disposed through the rim, extending circumferentially between disk posts, extending axially from a forward end to an aft end of the rim, and extending radially inwardly from a disk outer surface of the rim. Circumferentially extending annular burst slots extend radially through the rim into the dovetail slots between each adjacent pair of the webs. In the exemplary embodiment of the disk illustrated herein, the dovetail slots are circular arc dovetail slots. An axially forwardly extending overhang is located radially outwardly on each of the disk posts and a chamfer is on a radially outer corner of the each of the disk posts on a portion of the overhangs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Michael Forrester, Janine Elizabeth Bolt, James Edwin Rhoda, Joseph Timothy Stevenson
  • Patent number: 6481971
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade spacer has an axially extending backbone, spaced apart forward, mid and aft dovetail lands, respectively, disposed along the backbone, the backbone and the forward, mid, and aft dovetail lands having bottom curved backbone surfaces. Each of the forward, mid and aft dovetail lands has a riser that extends above the backbone and has a riser flat top. In the exemplary embodiment disclosed herein, a spacer tab extends generally axially forward of the forward land and includes intersecting axially and radially extending tab apertures. A void extends around the backbone and between the forward and aft dovetail lands and the void is filled with an elastomeric material. The spacer has a constant shape and size cross-section between the forward and aft dovetail lands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James Michael Forrester
  • Patent number: 6457942
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a gas turbine engine retainer having a block, a retainer slot disposed through the block, and a shelf normal to and extending axially forward of the block below the retainer slot. A retainer wall depending radially inwardly from the block and the retainer wall has a retainer wall thickness smaller than a block thickness of the block. The shelf is disposed along a radially inner edge of the retainer wall and the retainer slot is disposed through the retainer wall along the shelf. The retainer slot is arced or curved sideways and may be rectangular in cross-section. The retainer slot may be rectangular in cross-section and the shelf may be a rectangular shelf that is rectangular in cross-section. The retainer slot may also be skewed sideways with respect to a shelf centerline extending axially down a middle of the shelf. A radially extending shelf aperture is disposed through the shelf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James Michael Forrester
  • Patent number: 6447250
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor disk has a number of annular hubs circumscribed about a centerline and each of the hubs is connected to a disk rim by a web. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart circular arc dovetail slots are disposed through the rim. Circumferentially extending annular burst slots extend radially through the rim into the dovetail slots between each adjacent pair of the webs. The fan blades have circular arc dovetail roots disposed within the circumferentially spaced apart circular arc dovetail slots. A one piece spinner attached to a forward extension of the disk at a location between a tip and an axially aft spinner end of the spinner. Non-integral platforms circumferentially disposed between the fan blades. A booster spool is connected to the rotor disk by a mounting plate therebetween and the platforms are radially retained to the disk and mounting plates by pins through holes in mounting lugs depending radially inwardly from the platforms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Joel Corrigan, Jeffrey Clayton Potter, Joseph Timothy Stevenson, Jay L. Cornell, James Michael Forrester, Rolf Robert Hetico
  • Patent number: 6416280
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a spinner for a front end of a fan assembly of a gas turbine engine. The spinner includes a single piece substantially conically shaped hollow body circumscribed about a centerline extending aftwardly from a tip to an axially aft spinner end. A plurality of bolt holes extend axially parallel to the centerline through the hollow body at an axial location between the tip and the aft spinner end. The hollow body may include a forward conical section extending aftwardly from the tip to a transition section, an aft conical section extending aftwardly from the transition section to the aft spinner end, and the bolt holes are axially located in the transition section. An aft spinner flange attached to the axially aft spinner end includes a plurality of flange lightening holes axially disposed through the aft spinner flange and the flange lightening holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Michael Forrester, Joseph Timothy Stevenson, Jeffrey Clayton Potter, Sean Joel Corrigan