Patents by Inventor Ronald Scott Bunker

Ronald Scott Bunker 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).

  • Publication number: 20230304408
    Abstract: A component for a gas turbine engine includes a first surface and a second surface. The component additionally includes one or more layers of ceramic matrix composite material extending between the first and second surfaces. A thermal void extends between a first end and a second end. The second end of the thermal void is a terminal end embedded in the component between the first and second surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Kirk D. Gallier, David Alan Frey
  • Patent number: 11713682
    Abstract: A method of forming a passage in a turbine component includes: using an additive manufacturing process to form a first support structure on a first surface of the turbine component; forming a second support structure on a second surface of the turbine component, the second support structure being spaced apart from the first support structure; and forming a passage in the turbine component between the first and second support structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 11313235
    Abstract: An engine component for a gas turbine engine includes a film-cooled substrate having a hot surface facing hot combustion gas and a cooling surface facing a cooling fluid flow. The substrate includes one or more film holes that have a metering section defining a metering diameter and a diffusing section that defines a hooded length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Frederick Alan Buck, Robert David Briggs, Gulcharan Singh Brainch, Kevin Robert Feldmann
  • Patent number: 11208901
    Abstract: A component for a gas turbine engine comprises an airfoil having an outer surface. One or more cooling passages can be disposed within the airfoil, having a cooling passage extending along a trailing edge. A plurality of cooling channels can extend from the cooling passage through the trailing edge. At least one flow element and at least one film hole can be disposed in the cooling channel or the trailing edge passage adjacent the cooling channel. The flow element and the film hole can be in a predetermined relationship with one another providing improved flow to the film hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Zachary Daniel Webster
  • Patent number: 10946473
    Abstract: A method of forming structure on a component includes: providing a component having a first surface; adhering powder to the first surface; and directing a beam from a directed energy source to fuse the powder in a pattern corresponding to a layer of the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, William Thomas Carter, Wayne Charles Hasz
  • Patent number: 10830051
    Abstract: An engine component can comprise a cooled surface adjacent to a cooling flow and a hot surface adjacent to a hot flow of fluid. The component can comprise a wall separating the hot and cooling flows, defining the cooled surface and the hot surface, and having a plurality of film holes disposed in the wall. At least one turbulator and at least one film hole inlet can be disposed on the cooled surface. The turbulator and the inlet can be arranged to provide a steady flow of cooling fluid to the film hole. One arrangement can comprise spacing the film hole inlet at least two turbulator heights from the turbulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10822956
    Abstract: A component is provided and includes a substrate comprising an outer and an inner surface, where the inner surface defines at least one hollow, interior space. The component defines one or more grooves, where each groove extends at least partially along the outer surface of the substrate and has a base and a top. The base is wider than the top, such that each groove comprises a re-entrant shaped groove. One or more access holes are formed through the base of a respective groove, to connect the groove in fluid communication with the respective hollow interior space. Each access hole has an exit diameter D that exceeds the opening width d of the top of the respective groove. The diameter D is an effective diameter based on the area enclosed. The component further includes at least one coating disposed over at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, wherein the groove(s) and the coating together define one or more re-entrant shaped channels for cooling the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Eric Richard Bonini
  • Patent number: 10822957
    Abstract: A blade for a gas turbine engine comprises an airfoil having a pressure side and a suction side, with a root and a tip wall. The pressure side and suction side extend beyond the tip wall to define a tip channel, defining a plurality of internal and external corners. The corners comprise fillets to define a thickness being greater than the thickness for the pressure, suction, or tip walls. A film hole can extend through the fillet, such that the length of the film hole at the fillet can be increased to define an increased length-to-diameter ratio for the film hole to improve film cooling through the film hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jared Peter Buhler, Ronald Scott Bunker, Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Brian Kenneth Corsetti
  • Patent number: 10815782
    Abstract: Methods for repairing a trailing edge of an airfoil are provided. The method can include removing a portion of the trailing edge of the airfoil to form an intermediate component, and then applying using additive manufacturing a replacement portion on the intermediate component to form a repaired airfoil. The replacement portion defines at least one trailing edge ejection slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10815789
    Abstract: An apparatus for an impingement hole for an engine component of a gas turbine engine includes an impingement baffle. The impingement baffle is spaced from an impingement surface and includes a plurality of impingement holes for providing an impingement flow to the impingement surface. The impingement holes can have an angled upstream edge such that an inlet has a greater cross-sectional area than an outlet. The walls of the impingement holes can have a hood to provide a higher shear flow content to minimize dust accumulation on the impingement surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Jason Randolph Allen
  • Patent number: 10767489
    Abstract: An engine component, such as an airfoil, for a turbine engine having a hole, which can be a film hole, within the outer wall of the engine component where cooling air moves from an interior cavity through the hole to an outer surface of the engine component providing a cooling film on the outer surface of the engine component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10731472
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbine engine having an engine component including an air supply circuit coupled to a plurality of passages within the outer wall of the engine component where cooling air moves from the air supply circuit to an outer surface of the engine component through the passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10724380
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine turbine blade includes internal structural support radially supporting aerodynamic fairing. Strut radially extends away from root of support. Fairing includes hollow fairing airfoil surrounding strut and extending from fairing platform to blade tip shroud at tip of the fairing airfoil. A support cap attached to radially outer end of strut outwardly restrains fairing. Seal teeth may extend outwardly from the support cap. Internal cooling air flow path may extend radially through support. Fairing may be made from material lighter in weight than the support. Fairing material may be ceramic matrix composite and support material may be metallic. Blades may be mounted in rim of disk by roots disposed in slots through rim. Annular plate mounted to, upstream of, and proximate web of disk defines in part cooling airflow path to slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Charles Groves, II, Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10704395
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbine engine having an engine component including an air supply circuit coupled to a plurality of passages within the outer wall of the engine component where cooling air moves from the air supply circuit to an outer surface of the engine component through the passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10690055
    Abstract: Gas turbine engine components are provided which utilize an insert to provide cooling air along a cooled surface of an engine component. The insert provides cooling holes or apertures which face the cool side surface of the engine component and direct cooling air onto that cool side surface. The apertures may be formed in arrays and directed at an oblique or a non-orthogonal angle to the surface of the insert and may be at an angle to the surface of the engine component being cooled. An engine component assembly is provided with counterflow impingement cooling, comprising an engine component cooling surface having a cooling fluid flow path on one side and a second component adjacent to the first component. The second component may have a plurality of openings forming an array wherein the openings extend through the second component at a non-orthogonal angle to the surface of the second component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Curtis Walton Stover, Jonathan Michael Rausch, Satoshi Atsuchi, Gulcharan Singh Brainch, Robert David Briggs, Ronald Scott Bunker, Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni, Michael Alan Meade, Byron Andrew Pritchard, Robert Proctor
  • Publication number: 20200123908
    Abstract: A method of forming a passage in a turbine component includes: using an additive manufacturing process to form a first support structure on a first surface of the turbine component; forming a second support structure on a second surface of the turbine component, the second support structure being spaced apart from the first support structure; and forming a passage in the turbine component between the first and second support structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10619488
    Abstract: An engine component assembly includes an engine component having a hot surface in thermal communication with a hot combustion gas flow and a cooling surface in fluid communication with a cooling fluid flow. Multiple, non-linear channels are provided on the cooling surface of the engine component. At least a portion of the cooling fluid flow is orthogonal to an extension axis of the channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Jonathan Michael Rausch, Emily Rosette Clark
  • Patent number: 10612389
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for cooling an engine component such as a turbine engine airfoil, including a wall bounding an interior extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge and radially between a root and a tip. A cooling circuit it located within the interior of the airfoil can include a porous section having a porosity permitting a volume of fluid, such as air, to pass through the porous section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10605170
    Abstract: An engine component for a gas turbine engine which generates a hot combustion gas flow adjacent a hot surface and provides a cooling fluid flow adjacent a cooling surface comprises a wall separating the hot combustion gas flow and the cooling fluid flow. At least one concavity is provided in the cooling surface and at least one film hole is provided in the cooling surface providing the cooling fluid flow to the hot surface. An inlet for the film hole is spaced from the at least one concavity, located upstream of the at least one concavity and in alignment with the at least one concavity relative to the cooling fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10598026
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for cooling an engine component includes a wall. The wall can include multiple layers. The layers can be different materials and define an interior for the engine component. The layers can include shaped features to define a serial cooling air flow path for providing a flow from the interior to an exterior of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker