Shaping Integrally Bladed Rotor Patents (Class 29/889.23)
  • Patent number: 11761632
    Abstract: A dome assembly for a combustor includes: at least one swirler assembly including: at least one swirler including a plurality of swirl vanes arrayed about an axis, the plurality of swirl vanes oriented so as to impart a tangential velocity to air passing through the swirler parallel to the axis; each of the plurality of swirl vanes having a thickness and including a plurality of edges which collectively define a peripheral boundary of the respective swirl vane; wherein at least a selected one of the plurality of swirl vanes includes at least one void passing through the thickness of the selected swirl vane, the void disposed within the peripheral boundary of the selected swirl vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Gurunath Gandikota, Karthikeyan Sampath, Perumallu Vukanti, Allen M. Danis, Scott M. Bush, Steven Clayton Vise, Hari Ravi Chandra, Rimple Rangrej, Saket Singh, Pradeep Naik, Neeraj Kumar Mishra, Arvind Kumar Rao, Balasubramaniam Venkatanarayanan, Ranjeet Kumar Mishra
  • Patent number: 10865808
    Abstract: A fan of a rotary electric machine. The fan has an axis of rotation and comprises a plurality of blades (101). At least one characteristic of the blades is variable in the direction of a circumference of the fan around the axis of rotation for at least four consecutive blades. The at least one characteristic is selected from the group comprising a spacing angle between a straight line passing radially via a characteristic point of one of the blades and the axis of rotation of the fan and a straight line passing via a corresponding characteristic point of an adjacent blade and the axis of rotation of the fan, a height of the blade, a length of the blade, and an angle of inclination between a straight line passing via two characteristic points of a blade, and a straight line passing via two corresponding characteristic points of an adjacent blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur
    Inventors: Michel Fakes, André Sauvignet, Erwan Le Goff, Laurent Dahine
  • Patent number: 10794391
    Abstract: A centrifugal impeller high in efficiency and suction power, an electric blower having the centrifugal impeller, and an electrical apparatus provided with the electric blower are obtained. The centrifugal impeller includes a hub and a plurality of rotor blades. The plurality of rotor blades are coupled to a surface portion of the hub. At least one of the plurality of rotor blades includes an end portion, a first surface, and a second surface. The end portion includes a planar portion and a curved portion. The planar portion is continuous to the second surface and has a flat surface. The curved portion connects the planar portion and the first surface to each other and has a curved surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Home Appliance Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naho Adachi, Takashi Ikeda, Mamoru Hayatsu, Mitsumasa Hamazaki, Masaya Teramoto
  • Patent number: 10161403
    Abstract: A vacuum pump has an exhaust portion in which rotating blade portions and stationary blade portions are laminated in multiple stages. Each of the plurality of stator blades in one stage of the stationary blade portion is three-dimensionally connected to the stationary blade portion main body by an inner circumferential side support portion on the inner circumferential end side, and three-dimensionally connected to the stationary blade portion main body by an outer circumferential side support portion on the outer circumferential end side, and a cutout is provided in ag circumferential front end of the outer circumferential side support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shin Sumimoto
  • Patent number: 10132170
    Abstract: A system includes a turbomachine blade segment including an airfoil with an exterior surface, and a platform coupled to the airfoil having a first side and a second side. The system also includes a concave fillet transition extending between the airfoil and the platform. The concave fillet transition includes one or more interface ply segments extending across the exterior surface of the airfoil and the first or the second side of the platform to form a continuous surface between the airfoil and the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andres Jose Garcia-Crespo, Peter de Diego
  • Publication number: 20150098802
    Abstract: Shrouded turbine blisks and methods of manufacturing same are provided. A shrouded turbine blisk includes a central disk portion including an axis of rotation, an inner rim, a plurality of airfoils that extends radially outwardly from the inner rim; and a shroud integrally coupled to each of the plurality of airfoils. The shroud includes a plurality of circumferentially-arranged arcuate shroud segments defined at least in part by gaps positioned between adjacent shroud segments. The central disk portion, the inner rim, the plurality of airfoils, and the shroud are defined from a single billet of blisk material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Joseph Farineau, Robin Carl Schwant, Ganesh Krishnamoorthy, Rajiv Sampath
  • Patent number: 8998581
    Abstract: An impeller for a turbo-machine and is provided. The impeller includes a metallic base having a central hole, a back surface and a front surface opposite to the back surface; at least one blade extending on the front surface of the metallic base; a composite shroud attached to the at least one blade such that plural closed paths or vanes are formed by the front surface of the metallic base, the at least one blade and the composite shroud; and a connector configured to attach the composite shroud to the metallic base or the at least one blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Nuovo Pignone S.p.A.
    Inventors: Iacopo Giovannetti, Massimo Giannozzi, Dino Bianchi, Leonardo Tognarelli, Manuele Bigi, Andrea Massini
  • Patent number: 8974681
    Abstract: A method for balancing a rotor, notably of a turbomachine, includes a step of determining an unbalancing mass, and a step of balancing by chemical machining of the rotor. The chemical machining includes arranging a bath containing a chemical machining agent so that the bath has a capacity of heterogeneous material removal as a function of the depth in the bath, an amount of material removal at a first depth in the bath is greater than an amount of material removal at a second depth in the bath; immersing the rotor in the bath; and orienting the rotor in the bath taking account of the capacity of heterogeneous material removal so that the quantity of material removed from the rotor in a zone of the unbalancing mass is sufficient to balance the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Gabriela Rodriguez Elizondo, Stephane Vitrac, Marcial Suarez Cabrera, Patrick Momier
  • Patent number: 8973264
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a turbine disk involves machining to an initial form a slot in a turbine disk using a firm cutting tool. An intermediate form is then machined using a second cutting tool different from the first cutting tool. A final form using a third cutting tool different from the first cutting tool and the second cutting tool is then machined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Krzysztof Barnat, Frank C. Mullett
  • Patent number: 8943659
    Abstract: A method and device for the surface peening, especially ultrasonic shot-peening, of at least one partial element of a component of a gas turbine, is disclosed. The partial element, e.g., a sealing fin, and at least one surface of a vibration device impinging the blasting material are positioned relative to each other at an angle between 70° and 90° based on the direction of extension of the sealing fin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Erwin Bayer, Max Niegl, Holger Polanetzki, Thomas Peschke, Thomas Dautl, Philipp Thuemmler
  • Patent number: 8918996
    Abstract: Processes for fabricating components to have two or more regions with different grain structures, and components produced by such processes. First and second preforms are fabricated to comprise interface surfaces at which the preforms can be joined together. The first and second preforms are formed of first and second precipitation-strengthened alloys, respectively, and the first alloy differs from the second alloy by having a higher solvus temperature or a higher grain refiner content. The preforms are joined together to form an article comprising first and second portions formed by the first and second preforms, respectively, and corresponding to first and second regions of the component, respectively, and the interface surfaces of the preforms form a joint between the first and second portions of the article. A supersolvus heat treatment is performed on the article so that greater grain growth occurs in the second portion than in the first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andrew Ezekiel Wessman, David Paul Mourer
  • Patent number: 8893381
    Abstract: A method of repairing a seal wire groove is disclosed, the groove forming an annular structure having an outer surface and an inner surface and defining an original profile when new, comprising the steps of: removing a less-than-annular portion of the original profile of the groove to remove damaged portions of at least one of the inner and outer surfaces thereby forming a void; adding new material to the void; and shaping the new material to form a new profile of the groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Daniel David Noe, Douglas Jerome Jones, Michael Alan Pierson
  • Patent number: 8881392
    Abstract: A method of using machining to repair a component workpiece, such as a turbomachine blade, from a known profile of the component, is disclosed. The method includes deforming the profile using a morphing method so that the deformed profile interpolates a cluster of points measured on the component. Deforming the profile involves comparing each zone of the component workpiece that has excess or insufficient thickness with elementary deformation configurations (EDCs) each in the form of a mesh portion and of points, the elementary deformation configurations (EDCs) being filed in a database, the database associating the parameters of the morphing function with each elementary deformation configuration (EDC).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Snecma
    Inventors: Gérard Derrien, Stéphane Kerneis, Ludovic Gasne, Claude Leonetti
  • Patent number: 8869378
    Abstract: A manufacturing process of a monobloc vaned disc including a cutout by abrasive water jet, including: a continuous cutout, with an ejection head of a tool opposite a first face of the block, of a piece passing through the thickness of the block, the continuous cutout revealing a junction line between a second face of the block opposite the first, and the surface of the block cut out by the abrasive water jet; followed by at least one enhancement cutout, with the ejection head opposite the second face of the block, of a piece extending only over part of the thickness of the block, and integrating at least part of the junction line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Perrine de la Rupelle, Serge Berlanger, Mitch Miller, William Pearson, Mark Stromberg
  • Patent number: 8850703
    Abstract: With a method for finish-machining the blade tips of rotor wheels made in BLISK design, the rotor wheel or multi-stage compressor rotor (1), is machined—blade by blade and stage by stage—at the blade tips (2) by a conical cutter (5) whose cutting edge (6) is oriented tangentially to the outside surface of the rotor wheel/compressor rotor and routed on the blade tip essentially along the centerline thereof, with the cutting force being introduced perpendicular to the tool axis and in the stiffest direction of the blade (3), i.e. the centerline (11) of the blade cross-section and the perpendicular axis extending from the centerline. The cutting action and the force introduction of the conical cutter at the blade tip allow production of blade tips with a geometrically precisely defined edge without setting the respective blades into vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Leping Zhu, Gregor Riedel
  • Publication number: 20140294582
    Abstract: A compressor of the present invention includes an impeller that is rotatably provided inside an accommodation portion of a compressor casing, the impeller includes a blade that extends toward an inner peripheral surface of the accommodation portion, and an outer edge of the blade facing the inner peripheral surface of the accommodation portion is provided with a shroud portion that is formed from a resin layer. With such a configuration, the wear damage of the casing and the blade of the blade wheel may be prevented, and the effort and the time in the manufacturing process may be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventor: Koumei FUJIOKA
  • Patent number: 8844132
    Abstract: A method of flank and/or point milling an integrally bladed rotor is conducted with an automatic tool path generator which generates a new created tool path including smooth transitions merging between an actual finished surface and a nominal surface of the integrally bladed rotor. The actual finished surface is presented in a mathematical transformation matrix which may be obtained in a 3-D scanning process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Mario Blais, Michel Bellerose
  • Patent number: 8844117
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a machine tool and a corresponding method for machining, in particular for turning and milling, a workpiece having a central bore, said machine tool including a tool holder for holding a tool, a work rest for seating the workpiece, a work mounting for holding the workpiece in place, and a drive mechanism for rotating the workpiece about a central rotation axis, wherein the work rest has an arbor for attaching the workpiece, such that a section of the arbor projects into the central bore on a first side of the workpiece, and wherein the work mounting has a counter-holder movable in the direction of the bore axis of the central bore for applying a contact pressure, acting in the direction of the bore axis, to the workpiece on a second side opposite the first side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Chiron-Werke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Dirk Prust, Karl Deufel
  • Patent number: 8827640
    Abstract: A supersonic compressor rotor that includes a rotor disk that includes a substantially cylindrical endwall, a radially inner surface, and a radially outer surface. The endwall extends between the radially inner surface and the radially outer surface. A plurality of vanes are coupled to the endwall. The vanes extend outwardly from the endwall. Adjacent vanes form a pair and are spaced a circumferential distance apart such that a flow channel is defined between each pair of circumferentially-adjacent vanes. The flow channel extends generally radially between an inlet opening and an outlet opening. A first supersonic compression ramp is coupled to the endwall. The first supersonic compression ramp is positioned within the flow channel to facilitate forming at least one compression wave within the flow channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Douglas Carl Hofer, Dhananjayarao Gottapu
  • Patent number: 8701286
    Abstract: A method is provided of rotationally balancing a rotating part. A rotor hub or ring and a plurality of rotor blades for assembly onto the hub or ring are provided, each blade having an unfilled internal cavity. The respective masses and moment weights of the blades with filled internal cavities are then predicted. Next, the rotor blades are assembled onto the hub or ring to form the rotating part. The relative positions of the assembled blades are determined on the basis of their predicted masses and moment weights with filled internal cavities. The internal cavities of the assembled rotor blades are then filled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Oliver M. Strother
  • Patent number: 8701287
    Abstract: For shaping the leading edge (1) of blisk blades (2), the shape, amount and disposition of the material to be removed in a subsequent grinding and polishing process is determined beforehand over the entire blade length. The blade leading edge is milled such that an elliptical profile (3) has a material allowance (7) which over the length of the leading edge exactly corresponds to an expected material removal during the grinding and polishing process, so that a blisk blade is produced whose leading edge features an aerodynamically advantageous shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Liane Holze, Gregor Riedel
  • Patent number: 8689442
    Abstract: With the fabrication of integrally bladed rotors or stators (blisks) for gas-turbine engines, where the space confined by the pressure and suction side as well as the annulus surface is shaped by cutting and machining from the solid material, starting at the periphery of a ring or disk, a stiffness-optimized pre-machining contour is cut out in a cutting process at a certain distance from the pressure and suction side along straight control surfaces at a cutting angle varying in correspondence with the blade twist and along a conical surface extending at a certain distance from the annulus surface as well as along transition surfaces between the conical and the control surfaces, and subsequently finish machined by finish milling to produce the final contour of the blade, annulus and transition surfaces. The method reduces tool wear and is cost-effective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: Gregor Kappmeyer, Gregor Riedel
  • Patent number: 8656589
    Abstract: An aerofoil assembly, for example a bladed rotor assembly (40B) comprises a rotor (42) carrying a plurality of rotor blades (44), at least one of the rotor blades (44) having a coating (46) on the surface of the rotor blade (44). At least one of the rotor blades (44) has a coating (46) having a different thickness, a different area of contact with the surface of the rotor blade (44), a different position of contact on the surface of the rotor blade (44), a different shape of contact on the surface of the rotor blade (44) and/or a different composition compared to at least one of the other rotor blades (44). The coating (46) is applied in a non-uniform manner to reduce the vibration level of the rotor blade (44), or rotor blades (44), with the highest vibration response for a given excitation by changing the bladed rotor assembly (40B) mode shapes and the relative vibration of the rotor blades (44).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Hilmi Kurt-Elli
  • Publication number: 20140017065
    Abstract: A rotor apparatus for extracting energy from bidirectional fluid flows comprises a first rotor (7) mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation (4) in a first direction of rotation, the first rotor (7) having at least one helical blade (2) with a pitch that decreases in a direction along the axis of rotation (4); and a second rotor (8) mounted for rotation about the same axis of rotation (4) in an opposite direction of rotation and having at least one helical blade (2) with a pitch that increases in the same direction along the axis of rotation (4), wherein fluid exiting the first rotor (7) is passed to the second rotor (8).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: SEA-LIX AS
    Inventors: Jason Dale, Aage Bjørn Andersen
  • Patent number: 8616851
    Abstract: An article includes a first section extending from an outer periphery to a predetermined surface located inward from the outer periphery. The first section comprises a nanostructured ferritic alloy. The article includes a second section extending from an inner periphery to the predetermined surface located outward from the inner periphery. The second section comprises at least one other alloy different from the nanostructured ferritic alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard DiDomizio, Matthew Joseph Alinger, Samuel Vinod Thamboo, Raymond Joseph Stonitsch
  • Patent number: 8607454
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a composite-material turbomachine blade having platform incorporated therein includes separately making a blade platform element that includes rigidified fiber reinforcement and that has a shape close to that of a platform of the blade to be fabricated, with at least one opening being formed through the platform element. The opening has the shape of the profile of the airfoil of the blade to be fabricated. Three-dimensional weaving is used to make a flexible fiber blank as a single piece that includes blade airfoil-and-root preform portions. The platform element is engaged, via its opening, on the flexible fiber blank while deforming it so as to assemble the platform element with the fiber blank. The fiber blank is shaped together with the platform element assembled thereon to obtain a blade preform of a shape that is close to the shape of the blade to be fabricated. After shaping, the blade preform is consolidated in its shape in a shaper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignees: SNECMA, Herakles
    Inventors: Stephane Pierre Guillaume Blanchard, Eric Bouillon, Dominique Coupe, Hubert Illand, Clement Roussille
  • Patent number: 8557063
    Abstract: A method for heat treating a serviced turbine part to improve a hold time fatigue cracking resistance of the serviced turbine part is provided. The method includes positioning the serviced turbine part in a vacuum furnace configured to limit surface oxidation. The serviced turbine part is controllably heated to prevent distortion. A surface damage layer is recrystallized into a fine grain structure to prevent fatigue crack initiation. The serviced turbine part is controllably cooled to prevent distortion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Samuel V. Thamboo, Ling Yang
  • Publication number: 20130224028
    Abstract: A component blending tool assembly, includes a material removing surface that is moved to provide a blended area in a component, the material removing surface having a spherical contour mimicking a predetermined depth ratio of the blended area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Nathan D. Korn, Charles P. Gendrich, Jonathan E. Daggett, Robert E. Shepler, David P. Houston, David M. Nissley, Stephen D. Hoyt, Ron I. Prihar
  • Patent number: 8505202
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a single-piece blisk, including: using an abrasive water jet to cut a block of material, so as to create blade preforms extending radially outwards from a disk, while keeping material to form a connecting mechanism between directly consecutive blade preforms, the cutting being done such that the connecting mechanism approximately forms a ring at a radial spacing from the disk, connecting the blade preforms together at a radially inwards distance from their tips, and then removing the connecting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Snecma
    Inventors: Serge Berlanger, Sebastien Bordu, Thierry Jean Maleville, Christophe Charles Maurice Roca
  • Publication number: 20130199042
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a machine tool and a corresponding method for machining, in particular for turning and milling, a workpiece having a central bore, said machine tool including a tool holder for holding a tool, a work rest for seating the workpiece, a work mounting for holding the workpiece in place, and a drive mechanism for rotating the workpiece about a central rotation axis, wherein the work rest has an arbor for attaching the workpiece, such that a section of the arbor projects into the central bore on a first side of the workpiece, and wherein the work mounting has a counter-holder movable in the direction of the bore axis of the central bore for applying a contact pressure, acting in the direction of the bore axis, to the workpiece on a second side opposite the first side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: CHIRON-WERKE GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: CHIRON-WERKE GMBH & CO. KG
  • Patent number: 8480368
    Abstract: A process of fabricating a rotating component and components formed thereby. The process includes fabricating preforms corresponding to portions of the component. Each preform has an interface surface at which the preforms can be joined to locate a first of the portions in a radially outward direction from a second of the portions. The preforms are then inertia welded together to form a profile having a solid-state weld joint containing a finer-grained material than other portions of the profile. The profile is then forged with dies to produce a forging. At least one of the dies has a recess into which the finer-grained material from the weld joint is expelled during forging to purge a joint region of the forging between the forging portions of the finer-grained material. The joint region contains grains distorted in an axial direction of the forging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Gene Tolbert, Eric Scott Huron, David Paul Mourer, Douglas Gerard Konitzer
  • Patent number: 8464425
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a single-piece bladed disk, including: using an abrasive water jet to cut a block of material, so as to create blade preforms extending radially outwards from a disk, while keeping material forming a connecting mechanism between at least two directly consecutive blade preforms, the connecting mechanism being at a radial spacing from the disk; then removing the connecting mechanism; then milling the blade preforms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Serge Berlanger, Sebastien Bordu, Thierry Jean Maleville, Christophe Charles Maurice Roca
  • Patent number: 8435007
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hybrid turbomachinery component for use in a gas turbine engine. The hybrid turbomachinery component may be operative to direct the working fluid of the gas turbine engine and/or addi energy to the working fluid and/or extract energy from the working fluid. One or more portions of the hybrid turbomachinery component are made from one material, and other portions of the hybrid turbomachinery component are made from another material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventor: Adam J. Morrison
  • Publication number: 20130086805
    Abstract: A rotor disc, such as one made of a damage intolerant material or other material sensitive to stress concentrations, has at least one balancing assembly which includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart sacrificial protrusions projecting between adjacent stress-relieving slots. Selective material removal is permitted from the rotor disc, while managing stress concentrations in the rotor disc created by such material removal, such that the rotor disc may be balanced without detrimentally affecting its service life.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
  • Patent number: 8402625
    Abstract: A system for modifying a slot in a rotor includes a drill, a clamp connected to the drill and configured to engage with an interior surface of the slot, and means for supporting the drill from a stationary platform adjacent to the rotor. A method for modifying a slot in a rotor includes connecting a coupling to a stationary platform adjacent to the rotor, connecting a drill to the coupling, and locating the drill proximate to the slot. The method further includes inserting a clamp into the slot, engaging the clamp with an interior surface of the slot, and operating the drill to create a cavity in the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Bradford Holmes, John William Herbold, Jason Matthew Clark
  • Patent number: 8397385
    Abstract: Method for configuring the constituent elements of hollow helical wheels or their cages, which is based on using geometrical figures whose centers serve as reference for constructing them and defining their areas. Values of angles, offsets of the centers, and pitches, make it possible to control all the constituent elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Inventor: Pierre Carrouset
  • Publication number: 20130051939
    Abstract: A method of machining an airfoil includes the steps of providing first and second cutting tools respectively having first and second cutting contours that are different than one another. A blank is cut with the first cutting tool to provide a first airfoil surface on a first blade. The blank is cut with the second cutting tool to provide a second airfoil surface on a second blade. An airfoil is produced having the first and second blades. A cutting tool for machining the airfoil includes a shank. A cutting surface adjoins the shank and provides a cutting contour corresponding to an airfoil surface. The cutting surface extends along a cutting length axially from a nose to near a cutting boundary. The cutting length is configured to be greater than the blade length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Inventor: Chung Y. Wu
  • Patent number: 8375583
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a single-piece bladed disk, including: using an abrasive water jet to cut a block of material so as to create blade preforms extending radially outwards from a disk, while keeping material to form a connecting mechanism between at least two directly consecutive blade preforms; then milling on the blade preforms so as to obtain profiled blade blanks; then removing the connecting mechanism; then a finishing by milling of the blade blanks, so as to obtain blades with a final profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Serge Berlanger, Sebastien Bordu, Thierry Jean Maleville, Christophe Charles Maurice Roca
  • Patent number: 8360302
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing integrally bladed gas turbine rotors, especially of integrally bladed turbine rotors, wherein rotating blades (10) are joined to a rotor base (11) with the intermediate disposal of an adapter (14) in such a way that first an adapter is joined to a connecting section (15) of each rotating blade to be connected to the rotor base, and that subsequently each rotating blade (10) is joined to a connecting section (16) of rotor base (11) via adapter (14) connected to said blade. According to the invention, each adapter (14) is connected to connecting section (15) of the respective rotating blade (10) by welding, each rotating blade (10) being connected to the respective connecting section of the rotor base by inductive high-frequency pressure welding via adapter (14) connected to the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventor: Karl-Hermann Richter
  • Patent number: 8353105
    Abstract: With rotor wheel drums with integrally formed-on and/or separately attached blading (3, 8) blade tip machining is performed for the completely mounted drum assembly (1, 5) connected to a driven auxiliary turbomachine shaft acting as workpiece carrier (13) in a single apparatus by dry machining the separably assembled blades (8) and by wet machining the integrally formed-on blades (3), with the rotational speed of the workpiece carrier being lower in the wet machining process than in the dry machining process. The area for dry machining is protected by a shield (19) adjustable in the respective separating position against the matter generated in wet machining. Notwithstanding the fact that drums with integrally formed-on blades can be machined without being damaged, optimum gap conditions and correspondingly higher efficiency can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Arno Secherling
  • Publication number: 20130004317
    Abstract: A method of making a turbine rotor is disclosed. The method includes forming a last stage disk preform having a disk axis, the preform having a rotor face and an opposed shaft face, the rotor face having a circumferential, axially-extending rotor rib protruding therefrom, the shaft face having a circumferential, axially-extending shaft rib protruding therefrom, the disk preform comprising a disk preform material. The method also includes joining the rotor rib to a rotor preform to form a rotor joint, the rotor preform comprising a rotor preform material. The method further includes joining the shaft rib to a shaft to form a shaft joint, the shaft comprising a shaft material, wherein the disk preform material is different than the rotor preform material and the shaft material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Swami Ganesh, Steven Louis Breitenbach, Robin Carl Schwant
  • Publication number: 20130000121
    Abstract: A spherical cutter includes a spherically shaped body having open and closed ends defining a central cavity, multipoint cutting edges disposed along a circular rim at the open end, and the spherically shaped body generally defined by a radius and an origin. The cutting edges may be provided on cutting inserts removably attached to support teeth circumferentially disposed along the rim. The spherical cutter may be mounted to a rotatable spindle of a multi-axis computer numerically controlled machine with the radius and the origin located along a rotational axis of the spindle. The machine may be used for machining a cylindrical blank to form a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart integral rotor blades extending radially outwardly from a hub by machining each of the slots along a spherical surface defined by the radius and the origin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Inventor: Gregory Mark Burgess
  • Patent number: 8323011
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a rotor to be used in a dual-rotor lobe pump system for pumping a material at a periodic rate is provided. The method includes selecting a desired periodic flow rate for the material, selecting a number of lobes for the rotor, and selecting either a thickness of the rotor or a spacing between the dual-rotors' axes of rotation in the lobe pump. The method also includes determining the profile for the rotor based on the desired periodic flow rate, so that when the rotor is operated within the dual-rotor lobe pump system, the material can be pumped at substantially the desired periodic flow rate. In another embodiment of the invention, a lobe pump rotor profile is formed by the method described above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Daniel C. H. Yang, Shih-Hsi Tong
  • Patent number: 8286348
    Abstract: A method of forming integrally bladed rotors for gas turbines is described. The method includes drilling in a workpiece material recesses defining flow passages and rotor blades, performing a coarse milling step to refine surfaces of the rotor blades, and filling the recesses between the rotor blades with a damping material, thus encasing the rotor blades in the damping material. The method further includes performing a finishing milling step to remove the damping material and the workpiece material on surfaces of the rotor blades, while maximizing a damping effect of the damping material on the rotor blades. To maximize the damping effect, the finishing milling tool moves along a path that preferentially mills one surface of a blade while the other surface is in contact with the damping material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Marjan Rozic, Dariusz Nowak, Derek Waszczuk
  • Patent number: 8261444
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a rotor includes: (a) providing a core shaft; (b) cold spraying alloy powder particles onto the core shaft; (c) controlling the cold spraying to form sections at least of different shape along the core shaft to thereby form a near-net shape rotor; and (d) heat treating the near-net shape rotor to relieve stresses and to form diffusion bonding across interfaces between individual powder particles and the core shaft, and finish-shaping said near-net shape rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eklavya Calla, Surinder Pabla, Raymond Goetze
  • Publication number: 20120213639
    Abstract: A method of contactlessly machining a workpiece (16) is disclosed. A tool (2) is advanced in a direction towards the face of the workpiece (20), thereby removing material from the face of the workpiece (20) by a change of state of the material induced by its proximity to the tool (2). Also disclosed are number of tools which allow rapid simultaneous machining of a plurality of bladed disks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: BLADON JETS HOLDINGS LIMITED
    Inventors: Alan Noble, Christopher Bladon
  • Patent number: 8247733
    Abstract: An arrangement for the repair of BLISK blades damaged at their leading and trailing edges by use of laser deposition welding, includes a laser source and laser optics for generating a focused laser beam (26) and a powder line (35) connected to a powder reservoir for supplying metal powder to be melted by the laser beam to the weld area. A modular, tubularly elongated welding apparatus (7) with a connection module (13) which is connected to a laser source and in which the entering laser beam is deflected in longitudinal direction and parallelized, and to the one side of the connection module (13) is connected to a camera module for a CCD camera (12) enabling the precise positioning of the welding apparatus and the deposition of the molten metal powder on the respective blade to be monitored and controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Leping Zhu
  • Publication number: 20120201669
    Abstract: A rotating component of a turbine engine is provided and includes a wheel having a face to which fluid flow is provided and a plurality of impeller vanes forming a plurality of grooves along which the fluid flow is directed from an outer to an inner diameter of the wheel face, at least one of the plurality of the impeller vanes including a radially inwardly facing vane surface formed to define a cutaway portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Pradeep Kumar Mallaiah, Sabarinath Devarajan, Asim Kumar Ghosal, Yatheesh Aluvala Kumar
  • Patent number: 8191755
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a composite rotor disc (2) in which, following diffusion bonding of a ceramic core section (4) of the rotor disc (2) to a metallic outer section (6) of the rotor disc (2) at an elevated temperature, the rotor disc (2) is allowed to cool to a predetermined temperature and is held at this predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time. While the rotor disc (2) is held at this predetermined temperature it is loaded in a radially outward direction. The rotor disc (2) is then allowed to cool to a temperature below the predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Brynley Clark
  • Patent number: 8186057
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a rotating component, the method comprising the providing a component comprising a first portion, which first portion defines a first cavity, characterised by; identifying a first inertial property of the first portion and/or the entire component, introducing material into the first cavity to achieve an adjusted inertial property of the first portion and hence a desired inertial property of the component. A rotating component including a first portion defining a first cavity, a second portion defining a second cavity, the second portion being circumferentially spaced from said first portion, the first cavity has a first material deposit therein, said material having predetermined inertial characteristics so as to adjust the centre of mass (Z) of the rotating component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce, PLC
    Inventors: John M. Harrison, Keith C. Goldfinch