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).

  • Patent number: 10422235
    Abstract: An engine component assembly is provided with an insert having cooling features. The engine component comprises a cooled engine component surface having a flow path on one side thereof and a second component adjacent to the first component. The second component, for example an insert, 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. The second engine component has a plurality of discrete cooling features disposed on a surface facing the first component and near the plurality of cooling openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10415396
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbine engine having an engine component including an internal cooling circuit fluidly coupled to a plurality of passages within the outer wall of the engine component where cooling air moves from the internal cooling circuit to an outer surface of the engine component through the passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10415408
    Abstract: A component for a gas turbine engine includes a hot side wall, a plurality of connection walls, and a cold side wall. The hot side wall is exposed to a core air flowpath defined by the gas turbine engine. The cold side wall is spaced from the hot side wall and rigidly connected to the hot side wall through the plurality of connection walls. The hot side wall, connection walls, and cold side wall together define a cooling air cavity. The cold side wall defines a thermal stress relief slot for at least partially accommodating a relative thermal expansion between the hot side wall and the cold side wall to reduce an amount of thermal stress within the component during operation of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10408075
    Abstract: An apparatus relating to a rim seal for turbine engine comprising a wing and discourager extending into a cavity to form a labyrinth fluid path. The wing and discourager can each include a radial extension. Cooling air can pass through the rim seal along the labyrinth fluid path to resist the ingestion of hot gas from a mainstream flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10400675
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of cooling a gas turbine engine including a core with a compressor section in which the compressor section includes a closed loop cooling circuit having a pump, at least one heat pipe extending from at least one of the stationary vanes, a heat exchanger located within the bypass air flow, and a coolant conduit passing fluidly coupled to the pump and heat exchanger and passing by the heat pipe. The pump pumps coolant through the coolant conduit to draw heat from the heat pipes into the coolant to form heated coolant, the heated coolant then passes through the heat exchanger, where the heat is rejected from the coolant to the bypass air to cool the coolant to form cooled coolant, which is then returned to the heat pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mohammed El Hacin Sennoun, Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10378444
    Abstract: An engine component for a gas turbine engine includes a film-cooled recess comprising a contoured portion defining a step. A hot surface facing hot combustion gas and a cooling surface facing a cooling fluid flow are fluidly coupled by a passage through the engine component. The passage further comprises an inlet in the cooling surface and an outlet in the step. The inlet, passage and outlet are oriented such that the cooling fluid flowing through the passage and exiting the outlet diffuses within the contoured portion prevents premature mixing out with the hot fluid flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Francis Manning, Ronald Scott Bunker, Robert Frederick Bergholz, Robert David Briggs
  • Patent number: 10358928
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbine engine having an engine component including an internal cooling circuit fluidly coupled to a plurality of passages within the outer wall of the engine component where cooling air moves from the internal cooling circuit to an outer surface of the engine component through the passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10352177
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbine engine having a perimeter wall bounding an interior and defining a pressure side and a suction side, a radially extending rib located within the interior and spaced from the leading edge to define a radially extending leading edge chamber, and at least one impingement opening in the rib defining a flow path aligned with the leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Robert David Briggs, Timothy Deryck Stone
  • Patent number: 10350684
    Abstract: A method of forming a cooling hole structure on a turbine component. The turbine component has a component wall with inner and outer surfaces. A bore passes through the component wall and fluidly connects the inner surface and the outer surface. The method includes the steps of: A) forming a recess communicating with the bore and the outer surface; and B) using an additive manufacturing process to form an exit region in the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10343218
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to casting molds including a casting shell surrounding at least a portion of a casting core comprising a first metal component and a hot isostactic pressed second metal component around the first metal component. In one aspect, the first metal component may have a lower melting point than the second metal component. In another aspect, the second metal component may retain some metal powder grain structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Douglas Gerard Konitzer
  • Patent number: 10344598
    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: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Zachary Daniel Webster
  • Publication number: 20190145265
    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: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Jared Peter Buhler, Ronald Scott Bunker, Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Brian Kenneth Corsetti
  • Patent number: 10280760
    Abstract: A turbine assembly is provided. The turbine assembly includes a gas turbine engine including at least one hot gas path component formed at least partially from a ceramic matrix composite material. The turbine assembly also includes a treatment system positioned to receive a flow of exhaust gas from the gas turbine engine. The treatment system is configured to remove water from the flow of exhaust gas to form a flow of treated exhaust gas, and to channel the flow of treated exhaust gas towards the at least one hot gas path component. The at least one hot gas path component includes a plurality of cooling holes for channeling the flow of treated exhaust gas therethrough, such that a protective film is formed over the at least one hot gas path component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Narendra Digamber Joshi, Christian Lee Vandervort, Krishan Lal Luthra, Ronald Scott Bunker, Joel Meier Haynes, Venkat Eswarlu Tangirala
  • Patent number: 10267161
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine can have an exterior wall and an interior wall, with each wall having a thickness. The walls can intersect to define a corner at the intersection. A cooling passage can be defined by the walls at or near the corner to provide fluid communication between the interior and exterior of the airfoil. A film hole can be disposed in the walls and can have a length and diameter to define a ratio of length to diameter, L/D. An arcuate fillet can be located in the corner to define an effective radius for the fillet. The effective radius can be at least 1.5 times larger than the thicknesses of the walls to provide for an increased length to diameter ratio for the film hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jared Peter Buhler, Ronald Scott Bunker, Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Brian Kenneth Corsetti
  • Patent number: 10260354
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil for a gas turbine engine includes a pressure sidewall extending along a spanwise direction, and from a leading edge of the airfoil towards the trailing edge of the airfoil. The turbine airfoil additionally includes a suction sidewall also extending along the spanwise direction, and from the leading edge towards the trailing edge. The pressure sidewall and suction sidewall define a cooling air cavity therebetween, and one or both of the pressure sidewall and suction sidewall define a trailing edge cooling channel extending from the cooling air cavity substantially to the trailing edge. Additionally, one or both of the pressure sidewall and suction sidewall include a plurality of pressure drop members extending partially into the trailing edge cooling channel for reducing an amount of cooling air flowing therethrough from the cooling air cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Publication number: 20190106991
    Abstract: An engine component for a gas turbine engine includes a film-cooled substrate having a hot surface facing hot combustion gas flow and a cooling surface facing a cooling fluid flow. A film hole extends through the substrate to an outlet on the hot surface. A flow conditioning structure is provided upstream of the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Inventors: Ronald Scott Bunker, Robert David Briggs
  • Patent number: 10233775
    Abstract: An engine component for a gas turbine engine includes a film-cooled wall having a hot surface facing hot combustion gas and a cooling surface facing a cooling fluid flow. A film hole in the wall has an inlet, an outlet, and a passage connecting the inlet and outlet that defines an inflection point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Scott Bunker
  • Patent number: 10227876
    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: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jared Peter Buhler, Ronald Scott Bunker, Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Brian Kenneth Corsetti
  • Patent number: 10221693
    Abstract: An airfoil comprises at least one wall defining a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a suction side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The airfoil is curved in three dimensions and has one or more cavities defined by an interior surface of the at least one wall. A plurality of cooling film holes extending between the cavity and at least one cooling trench located on at least one of the pressure side and the suction side, spaced from the leading edge. The at least one trench has a floor spaced from an outer surface of the airfoil. The plurality of cooling film holes extend through the floor at an angle other than perpendicular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: George Joe-Kueng Chan, Ronald Scott Bunker, Victor Hugo Silva Correia, Christopher Kanoa Hoffman
  • Publication number: 20190040746
    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: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Robert Charles Groves, II, Ronald Scott Bunker