With Weight-balancing Means Patents (Class 416/144)
  • Patent number: 11891169
    Abstract: In an implementation, a rotor blade (alternatively referred to herein as “blade”) for a helicopter or other aircraft may include an outer layer. The outer layer may define a cavity. The outer layer may at least partially correspond to an airfoil, e.g., a wing. One or more inserts may be included within the cavity and be encompassed thereby. The first insert may have a density of at least 0.6 pounds per cubic inch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Paul Branson Sherrill, Robert Alan Self
  • Patent number: 11873725
    Abstract: A fastener cover for a flanged joint including first and second annular flanges extending about an axis, comprising: an annular, axially-extending, inboard wall; an annular, axially-extending outboard wall positioned radially outboard of the inboard wall; and a first radial wall interconnecting the inboard and outboard walls, wherein, collectively, the inboard and outboard walls and the first radial wall define a cavity for receiving a portion of a fastener; at least one fastener pocket including sidewalls extending axially away from the first radial wall and defining a tubular shape, which is closed off opposite the first radial wall by a floor plate having a clearance hole passing therethrough for accepting a shank of the fastener; and wherein the cover includes a balance weight receptacle for accepting at least one balance weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: GE Avio S.r.l.
    Inventors: Roberto Maddaleno, Andrea Depalma, Antonio Giuseppe D'Ettole, Matteo Renato Usseglio, Christian Campanale
  • Patent number: 11814161
    Abstract: Spring-integrated rotors are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a bracket defining a first rotational axis and coupled to a motor for rotating the bracket about the first rotational axis, a pivot body defining a second rotational axis extending along a direction different than the first rotational axis, the pivot body coupled to the bracket for rotation about the second rotational axis, and at least one spring device positioned at the bracket, the at least one spring device urging the pivot body toward a central position when the bracket is rotating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Andryukov, Lauren Butt, Derek Jackson
  • Patent number: 11773862
    Abstract: An impeller rotates about a central axis and includes a cup portion having a bottom portion and a cylindrical portion, a base portion, and a plurality of vanes. The impeller further includes a plurality of rib portions, formed on a surface of a side opposite to another side of the base portion where the vanes are provided, wherein each of the rib portions is disposed axially opposite to at least a portion of a corresponding one of the vanes, and the rib portion and the vane are separated by the base portion, wherein a ring-shaped rib portion centering at the central axis and connected with the rib portions is further formed on the surface of the side opposite to the another side of the base portion where the vanes are provided. The ring-shaped rib portion extends axially from the base portion in a direction opposite the vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Qiang Ma, Toshifumi Fukui, Fengwen Yang
  • Patent number: 11649034
    Abstract: A flight control surface comprising a main body comprising an upper and lower cover, upper and lower skins and a core member, a prolongation of their length over the length of the core member defining a stepped area. A trailing edge of the control surface comprises a U-shaped profile enclosing the prolongation, the U-shaped profile extending towards the main body in the chordwise direction up to the stepped area and comprising a section that progressively decreases. The trailing edge comprises a first and a second set of rivets located in the prolongation, the first set of rivets joining the upper and lower covers and the second set of rivets joining the U-shaped profile, the upper covers and the lower covers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Airbus Operations S.L.
    Inventors: Robert Kobierecki, Miguel Ángel Mendez Rodríguez, Juan Antonio Sánchez Ruiz, Alberto Balsa-Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 11434868
    Abstract: A method of installing a rotor on a nacelle (44) on a wind turbine generally includes providing a rotor hub counterweight assembly (10, 10?) which are rotated and lifted from a downtower location to an uptower location at which wind turbine blades (50, 52, 54) are progressively attached and the counterweights (14, 16), (14?, 16?) are progressively removed. The rotor hub and counterweight assembly (10, 10?) for use when installing a rotor on a wind turbine (46) generally includes a rotor hub (12) having first, second and third flanges (18, 20, 22), a first counterweight (14, 14?), a second counterweight (16, 16?), and a lifting apparatus connecting member (26, 26?). A lifting apparatus connecting member (26) is configured with at least two connection points (60, 62) being configured for allowing at least two of three operations including installation, rotating and lifting the rotor hub (12), and removal of the lifting apparatus connecting member (26?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Gunnar K. Storgaard Pedersen, Christian Skov Frederiksen, Anton Bech
  • Patent number: 11353006
    Abstract: A wind turbine is provided, including a container, a fluid which is arranged inside the container, and a damping body which is arranged inside the container, which is immersed in the fluid, and which is configured to move inside the container, wherein the fluid and the damping body are configured to damp oscillations of the wind turbine. A damper system is provided that on the one hand the fluid damps, e.g. by sloshing, and on the other hand the damping body damps by moving at least partially through the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventor: Thorkil Munk-Hansen
  • Patent number: 11215055
    Abstract: A method of balancing a gas turbine engine rotor comprises the step of obtaining a rotor disc with a circumferential array of balance tabs projecting from a peripheral rim of the disc. Stress shielding scallops are defined in the rotor disc between the tabs. The balancing is achieved by removing material from at least one of the tabs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Paul Stone
  • Patent number: 11168565
    Abstract: An insert is disposable between an exterior surface of an annular body and an annular flange and between a support wall supportive of the annular flange and surface features of the exterior surface. The insert includes a forward section sized to fit between and to extend along respective arc-segments of the exterior surface and the annular flange and an aft section. The forward section includes a first end wall abuttable with the support wall, a second end wall and inner and outer diameter surfaces that extend between the first and second end walls for abutment with the exterior surface and the annular flange, respectively. The aft section extends from the second end wall to be engageable with the surface features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Calvin J. Winder, Joshua C. O'Connor, Christopher StMary, Fadi S. Maalouf, Krishna Bangalore, Cory R. Bowersox
  • Patent number: 11118592
    Abstract: A ceiling fan assembly having a motor with a rotor with multiple blade mounts, multiple blades having a removable blade tip, a balancing weight mount carried by the multiple blades and covered by the removable tip, and where each of the multiple blades are pre-balanced and indexed to a corresponding one of the multiple blade mounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Hunter Fan Company
    Inventors: Charles William Botkin, Bobby Neal Norwood
  • Patent number: 11117295
    Abstract: A system for manufacturing a particulate-binder composite article including a mold defining a mold cavity, a first opening into the mold cavity, and a second opening into the mold cavity, a mass of a particulate material received in the mold cavity, a binder source in selective fluid communication with the mold cavity by way of the first opening, the binder source including a binder material, a first filter disposed across the first opening, the first filter being permeable to the binder material and substantially impermeable to the particulate material, and a second filter disposed across the second opening, the second filter being permeable to air and substantially impermeable to the particulate material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Karl R. Bernetich, Robert R. Ignatuk, James W. Kohlbrenner
  • Patent number: 10981647
    Abstract: The present invention includes a rotor-blade span-balancing system, including a span-balance pocket in a surface of a rotor blade; a cover operably configured to cover the span-balance pocket, wherein the cover is operably configured to be substantially flush with the surface of the rotor blade surface when covering the span-balance pocket, and wherein the cover includes a cover boss for reacting centrifugal force of the cover into the rotor blade; and one or more span-balance weights attached to the cover to span-balance the rotor blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON INC.
    Inventors: Robert Self, Nathan P. Green, John R. McCullough, Russell Cole, Paul Sherrill, Robert Wardlaw
  • Patent number: 10975720
    Abstract: The invention relates to a balancing system of an aircraft turbomachine comprising a first annular row of first mounting ports for mounting balancing members, and a second annular row of second mounting ports for mounting balancing members which is axially offset from the first annular row, the number and angular positions of the first mounting ports being identical to the number and angular positions of the second mounting ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Nadège Pauline Audrey Hugon, Thomas Giraudeau, Jean-Marc Claude Perrollaz, Baptiste René Roger Batonnet, Romain Nicolas Lagarde
  • Patent number: 10920598
    Abstract: A cover plate for maintaining axial alignment between a blade assembly and a rotor disk and transferring centrifugal loading directly to the rotor disk. The cover plate comprises a plate key extending axially from an elongate member, the plate key configured to engage a keyway of the rotor disk assembly and/or a notch of the blade key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventors: Michael R. Whitten, Brandon Snyder, James Sellhorn
  • Patent number: 10883370
    Abstract: A balancing assembly for a rotating component of a gas turbine engine includes a balance weight configured for insertion into a complimentary balance weight slot in the rotating component. The balance weight has a dovetail shaped cross-section and the balance weight slot has a complimentary dovetail shaped cross-section. A retaining ring configured for installation to the rotating component axially retains the balance weight in the balance weight slot. A method of correcting an imbalance of a rotating assembly includes inserting a balance weight into a balance weight slot in a rotating component of the rotating assembly, and installing a retaining ring at the rotating component to retain the balance weight in the balance weight slot in an axial direction. The balance weight has a dovetail shaped cross section, and the balance weight slot has a complimentary dovetail shaped cross section to retain the balance weight at the balance weight slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nicholas Waters Oren, Ross Wilson
  • Patent number: 10823187
    Abstract: A method for producing a centrifugal pump impeller having a base plate, which is a single piece with pump blades and a cover plate, which consists of a thermoplastic material, wherein contact areas are available, which are heated and melted by means of ultrasonic excitation and form a close bonded connection after cool-down. The objective of the invention is to ensure inherent stability with the individual parts and a simple and reliable pre-assembly as well as a fixed mechanical connection, wherein only a small amount of excitation energy is required, with a centrifugal pump impeller comprising a base plate and cover plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: BÜHLER MOTOR GMBH
    Inventor: Harald Rausch
  • Patent number: 10807705
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a rotor blade may comprise a blade body, a spar structure, and a blade nose. The blade body may comprise a skin, wherein the skin is configured to form an airfoil shape, and wherein the airfoil shape comprises an inboard end, an outboard end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The spar structure may comprise a first spar cap and a second spar cap, wherein the first spar cap is coupled to an upper portion of the skin, and wherein the second spar cap is coupled to a lower portion of the skin. The blade nose may comprise a cavity, wherein the cavity is configured to house a plurality of modular weights at a plurality of radial blade locations, wherein the plurality of radial blade locations comprises a range of locations between the inboard end and the outboard end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON INC.
    Inventors: Drew A. Sutton, Mark E. Wasikowski, Andrew Ryan Maresh, Nolan B. Phillips
  • Patent number: 10598017
    Abstract: A method of identifying the balancing configuration installed on a turbine engine rotor using a plurality of screws forming balance weights that are mounted on the rotor at different angular positions of the rotor is provided. Each screw possesses a predetermined weight and each screw is associated with an element for identifying its weight and for identifying its angular position on the rotor. The method includes contactless scanning of all of the screws mounted on the rotor by an identification appliance capable of recognizing the elements for identifying the weight and the angular position associated with each screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Valerio Gerez, Francois Prost
  • Patent number: 10519970
    Abstract: A compressor blade locking device can include: a first support including a first locking groove; a second support including a left groove and a first protrusion corresponding to the first locking groove; a third support including a second locking groove; a fourth support including a right groove and a second protrusion corresponding to the second locking groove; a center support disposed between the second support and the fourth support; and a tab disposed in the center support, wherein the tab is configured to be turned such that the tab is disposed in the left groove and the right groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Doosan Heavy Industries Construction Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Matthew Montgomery, Iurii Goroshchak, Joohwan Kwak
  • Patent number: 10436224
    Abstract: A turbomachinery rotor apparatus includes: a rotatable disk having an array of slots spaced around its periphery; an array of blades installed in the slots, wherein the blades have variable weights; and a plurality of connection components installed in the disk, each connection component forming a portion of a mechanical joint between one of the blades and its respective slot, wherein the connection components have variable weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Jason Bishop, Kevin Lee Kirkeng
  • Patent number: 10428835
    Abstract: A fan of the invention includes an impeller having a plurality of blades and rotating around a rotation axis, and at least one balance weight having at least one claw portion and attached to the impeller to correct the center of gravity of the impeller. The impeller has a circumferential convex portion formed along the circumferential direction, and on which the claw portion is hooked to restrict a range of movement of the balance weight in the radial direction of the impeller, and at least one radial concave-convex portion formed along the radial direction, and on which the claw portion is hooked to restrict the range of movement of the balance weight in the circumferential direction of the impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kurihara
  • Patent number: 10422024
    Abstract: A nickel-base superalloy consisting of, by weight: 14.6% to 15.9% cobalt; 11.5% to 13.0% chromium; 0.8% to 1.2% iron; 0.2% to 0.60% manganese; 2.00% to 2.40% molybdenum; 3.30% to 3.70% tungsten; 2.90% to 3.30% aluminum; 2.60% to 3.10% titanium; 3.50% to 5.10% tantalum; 1.20% to 1.80% niobium; 0.10% to 0.60% silicon; 0.02% to 0.06% carbon; 0.010% to 0.030% boron; 0.05% to 0.11% zirconium; up to 0.045% hafnium; and the balance being nickel and impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Mark C Hardy, Roger C Reed, David Crudden
  • Patent number: 10415424
    Abstract: A balanced turbomachine part including one angular sector arranged to form a balancing ring centered about a ring axis. The angular sector includes a plurality of fasteners, a bearing face having a complementary shape to the balancing ring, the angular sector bearing on the bearing face. The part further includes a plurality of balancing masses each fastened to the corresponding fastener of the angular sector, at least one of the balancing masses also acting as a fastener for fastening the angular sector on the bearing face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Le Strat, Herve Pohier
  • Patent number: 10400793
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a balance structure of a fan, which comprises a hub and a balance slider. The hub has a circumferential portion and a top portion. The circumferential portion has a plurality of blades. The top portion is provided with a groove having a latch portion. The balance slider has a receiving portion slidingly engaging with the latch portion such that the balance slider can be slidingly disposed in the groove and the balance slider can move to a balance position automatically during the rotation of the hub. In this way, the effect of automatic balance can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bor-Haw Chang, Chung-Shu Wang
  • Patent number: 10371172
    Abstract: Turbochargers operate at extremely high speed, so balance of the rotating core is of the utmost importance to turbocharger life. A special balancing washer is added to the clamping region between the compressor nut and the nose of the compressor wheel to aid in keeping the wheel, nut, and stub-shaft on the turbocharger axis and to thereby prevent introduction of core unbalance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventor: Denny King
  • Patent number: 10364822
    Abstract: A fan blade is mounted on a shaft or arranged to vary in pitch via rotation about a pitching axis. The fan blade is mounted with a center of mass offset from the shaft or pitching axis. This offset reduces torque around the shaft or pitching axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: FLEXXAIRE INC
    Inventors: Jonathan E. McCallum, George Antoszko, Peter Knight
  • Patent number: 10364688
    Abstract: A minidisk for a rotor system may comprise a balance flange defining a hole array, which may include a first hole having a first width. The first hole may be configured to receive a balance weight. A second hole and a third hole may have a second width. The second hole and the third hole may be disposed adjacent to the first hole. The second width may be greater than the first width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond S Hummel, Steven D Porter, Julian Partyka
  • Patent number: 10359750
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a frequency control method for a micro-grid and a control device. The method includes: determining a middle parameter at iteration k; determining a local gradient parameter at iteration k according to the cost increment rate at iteration k, the frequency difference between iterations k and k+1, and communication coefficients; performing a quasi-Newton recursion according to the middle parameter and local gradient parameter to acquire a recursion value; determining the cost increment rate at iteration k+1 according to the recursion value; determining an adjustment value of an active power according to the cost increment rate at iteration k+1; adjusting the active power according to the adjustment value if the adjustment value satisfies a constraint condition and judging whether the difference is smaller than a predetermined threshold; executing k=k+1 if yes and stopping the frequency control if no.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Wenchuan Wu, Boming Zhang, Hongbin Sun, Zhongguan Wang, Qinglai Guo, Bin Wang
  • Patent number: 10344610
    Abstract: A turbomachine module, comprising a mobile wheel rotatably mounted inside a housing of the module and surrounded by a sectorised sealing ring (18) that comprises an annular row of sectors, each ring sector comprising at least one circumferential hook that is configured to engage with an annular hooking rail of the housing, the module further comprising a sectorised protective annular shim (50) that is interposed between the hooks of the ring sectors and the rail of the housing and that comprises an annular row of sectors of shim, characterised in that the edges (60) of the circumferential ends of the sectors of shim are not aligned with the edges (58) of the circumferential ends of the ring sectors along the longitudinal axis of the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Cyril Loiseau, Alain Dominique Gendraud, Sebastien Jean Laurent Prestel
  • Patent number: 10233758
    Abstract: A rotor blade comprises a blade platform and an airfoil. The airfoil comprises a blade tip, a leading edge, and a trailing edge with a stiffening compound lean contour. The blade tip is radially opposite the blade platform, and defines a blade span between the blade itself and the blade platform. The leading and trailing edges extend from the blade platform to the blade tip to define blade chords between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The compound lean contour comprises a positive lean section located at the lean tip, and extending along a lean axis to a lean end. The negative lean section is located radially inward of the positive lean section, and extends along the lean axis to the lean end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Loc Quang Duong, Xiaolan Hu, Gao Yang, Jesus A. Garcia, Dan G. Sapiro
  • Patent number: 10228042
    Abstract: There is provided a vibration damper which is capable of damping torsional vibrations by pendulum movement of a plurality of inertial masses, and damping vibrations of plurality of order without letting the inertial masses to interfere. A distance between a center of curvature of an inner surface of a first through-hole and a center of curvature of an inner surface of a second through-hole formed in a rotary member is shorter than a distance between a center of curvature of an inner surface of a fifth through-hole and a center of curvature of an inner surface of a sixth through-hole formed in a first inertial mass. Moreover, a distance between a center of curvature of an inner surface of a third through-hole and a center of curvature of an inner surface of a fourth through-hole in a rotary member is longer than a distance between a center of curvature of an inner surface of a seventh through-hole and a center of curvature of an inner surface of an eighth through-hole formed in a second inertial mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuhei Horita, Fusahiro Tsukano, Morihiro Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Amano, Tadashi Sekiguchi, Yuya Takahashi, Taiki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10215027
    Abstract: An airfoil includes, among other possible things, a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Channels are formed into the main body, with a plurality of ribs extending intermediate the channels. A cover skin is attached to the main body. The cover skin is welded to the main body with a weld at outer edges. An adhesive is placed between inner surfaces of the cover skin and the main body. The adhesive is deposited inwardly of the outer edges of the cover skin. A method of constructing an airfoil is also disclosed as is a gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick M. Schwarz, Michael A. Weisse
  • Patent number: 10180146
    Abstract: An impeller of an axial fan includes a cup-shaped blade support portion configured to cover a rotor holder, and blades in a circumferential direction outside of the blade support portion. Rotation of the impeller generates a downward air flow from the inlet to the outlet. The axial fan includes first and second balance correction portions. The first balance correction portion is located between the blade support portion and the rotor holder. The second balance correction portion is located axially below the first balance correction portion, and is located axially below the rotor holder and a junction of each blade with the blade support portion. The impeller includes a first cone portion located axially below the second balance correction portion, and decreases in diameter with decreasing height. The impeller includes a cylindrical portion including a cylindrical outer circumferential surface and located between the first cone portion and the second balance correction portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryota Hayashida, Tsukasa Takaoka
  • Patent number: 10087785
    Abstract: A tie rod assembly for a mid-turbine frame includes at least one tie rod for connecting an outer frame case to an inner frame case. At least one tie rod includes an inlet passage that branches into a first branch and a second branch. A plug is located in the first branch to block flow through a portion of the first branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alexander Broulidakis, Anthony P. Cherolis, Jonathan Lemoine, Kalpendu J. Parekh, Steven W. Trinks, Christopher Treat, Kevin Zacchera, Alberto A. Mateo
  • Patent number: 10024237
    Abstract: An air inlet deflector for a structure having an air inlet. The deflector may be retractable within the structure, may be integrally formed with the structure, and may prevent the structure from ingesting foreign matter, such as birds. The deflector may include a series of ribs, spokes, or vanes that may vary in width and/or thickness from fore to aft, and/or may be curvilinear in one or more planes of view, and/or may serve double duty as inlet vanes for redirecting inlet air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Inventor: Michael J Kline
  • Patent number: 10018186
    Abstract: Wind turbines are provided comprising a support structure having a tower and a nacelle mounted on the support structure. A first region (damper region) of the wind turbine including at least a first part of the nacelle is flexibly coupled to a second region (to be damped) of the wind turbine including at least the support structure. Methods are also provided for determining a suitable stiffness of the flexible coupling of the damper region to the region to be damped of any one of said wind turbines. These methods comprise determining a modal mass of the region to be damped depending on a given tower bending mode; and determining the stiffness of the flexible coupling of the damper region to the region to be damped depending on the calculated modal mass of the region to be damped and on the mass of the damper region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: GE Renewable Technologies Wind B.V.
    Inventors: Roger Bergua, Jordi Jové
  • Patent number: 9945354
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade includes a first shell member including a first mating surface along a first edge of the wind turbine blade. Also, the wind turbine blade includes a second shell member including a second mating surface along the first edge of the wind turbine blade, wherein the second mating surface is opposite to the first mating surface. Further, the wind turbine blade includes a bonding material disposed between the first mating surface and the second mating surface and configured to bond the first mating surface to the second mating surface. Moreover, the wind turbine blade includes a constrainer positioned at a desired bond line and coupled to one of the first mating surface and the second mating surface, wherein the constrainer is configured to restrict the bonding material from migrating into an interior cavity of the wind turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Sultan Shair, Thomas Merzhaeuser, Mohammad Salah Attia
  • Patent number: 9926081
    Abstract: An aircraft turbopropeller includes two coaxial contra-rotating unducted propellers, upstream and downstream respectively, each propeller including an annular row of blades. The blades of the downstream propeller have a reverse sweep in relation to that of the blades of the upstream propeller. The leading edges of the blades of the downstream propeller extend radially outwards from downstream to upstream, at least over a radially outer portion of the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventor: Jonathan Vlastuin
  • Patent number: 9909558
    Abstract: Methods for installing blades of a wind turbine are provided. The method comprises: providing a blade holder, wherein the blade holder comprises a connection element adapted to be attached to a mounting surfaces and a lifting equipment attachment, the blade holder being provided with a steering mechanism. Then, the blade holder is attached to the blade. The blade holder is hoisted with the blade towards the rotor hub with lifting equipment. The blade holder is attached to the mounting surface of the hub using the connection element. The rotor hub is rotated using the weight of the blade holder and the blade to a first desired position for mounting the blade to the rotor hub. The blade holder is detached from the hub. Then, the blade may be mounted to the rotor hub. A wind turbine blade holder for holding a blade and for use in lifting the blade is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventor: Isaac Gil Mollà
  • Patent number: 9890652
    Abstract: A rotating assembly for a turbine engine, comprising a disc having an outer periphery having alternating slots and teeth, blades radially extending from the disc and roots of which are axially engaged in the slots, with spaces called slot cavities being provided between the roots of the blades and the slots, platforms laterally extending from the blades and circumferentially arranged end-to-end, so as to form spaces called inter-blade cavities, and a downstream annular shroud, comprising an outer annular sealing lip opposite the downstream ends of the platforms. The downstream shroud further comprises an intermediate annular sealing lip opposite the downstream faces of the teeth of the disc, radially between the slot cavities and the inter-blade cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Maurice Guy Judet, Pierre Guillaume Auzillon, Matthieu Simon
  • Patent number: 9890763
    Abstract: Counterweight system for a wind turbine comprising a hub mounted to a nacelle such that the hub is rotatable around a rotation axis with respect to the nacelle. The counterweight system comprises: a mechanical unit comprising a fixed part and a rotatable part, the fixed part being mountable to the hub in such a way that the rotatable part is rotatable with respect to the hub substantially around the rotation axis of the hub; a drive unit for causing rotation of the rotatable part; a beam coupled to the rotatable part at a first point of the beam in such a way that the beam is arranged substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis of the hub; and a counterweight mass coupled to the beam at a second point of the beam. A method of mounting a blade to a hub by using said counterweight system is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: ALSTOM Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Santiago Canedo Pardo, Javier Bescos
  • Patent number: 9879698
    Abstract: A shaft balancing assembly comprising a nose cone and a plurality of balance weights. The nose cone is mounted to a rotatable shaft of a turbine machine via a plurality of elongated fasteners such that a central axis of the nose cone is alighted with the rotatable shaft. The nose cone comprises a flange extending axially from a leading tip to a trailing edge and a plurality of apertures each adapted to receive a balancing weight and an elongated fastener. The nose cone flange is formed from a filament wound composite material and has a uniform thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE NORTH AMERICAN TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Graham Burkholder, Daniel Molnar, Jared Schneider, Matt Kappes
  • Patent number: 9803654
    Abstract: The invention includes a disc-shaped disc section (30) that is attached to a rotating shaft (6), and blade sections (40) that are provided on a front surface (31) that is one side in an axial direction of the disc section (30). Balance holes (33) for attaching weight-adjusting weight members W thereto are provided at positions where the blade sections (40) are provided in a radial direction, in a rear surface (51) that is the other side in the axial direction of the disc section (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES COMPRESSOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuyori Yagi, Hiroyuki Miyata
  • Patent number: 9803481
    Abstract: A rotor for a turbomachine includes a rim defining a base of a rotor, an airfoil shaped blade extending from said rim and defining a chord line and a bore extending from said rim opposite said airfoil shaped blade. The rim further includes at least one rail extending away from said airfoil shaped blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Nicholas Aiello, Bob S. Bamford
  • Patent number: 9777735
    Abstract: A blower assembly includes a centrifugal fan and a motor assembly. The centrifugal fan has a plurality of axially extending impeller blades, a first axial end, and an air inlet. The air inlet is at the first axial end of the centrifugal fan. The motor assembly comprises a stator, a rotor, and an air directing surface. The air directing surface is shaped and configured to direct air drawn into the air inlet radially outwardly toward the impeller blades. The air directing surface extends generally along the rotor axis from its first end to its second end. At least a surface region of the air directing surface generally circumscribes the rotor axis and diverges radially outwardly as such surface region of the air directing surface extends away from the first end toward the second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: REGAL BELOIT AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Steven W. Post, William S. Gatley, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9739288
    Abstract: A fan hub balancing structure includes a hub main body. The hub main body has a top section, a circumferential section extending from the circumference of the top section and a lip section. The lip section is connected with the lower end of the circumferential section. The lip section has at least one residual weight section on the lip section. After the residual weight section is removed from the lip section, a balancing section is formed on the lip section. The balancing structure is able to provide a balancing effect for the hub main body and facilitate the processing of the hub main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chun-Hao Huang, Chun-Liang Ho
  • Patent number: 9719489
    Abstract: Rotor blade assembly and methods for forming rotor blade assemblies are provided. A rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade including a shell and defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge and a trailing edge each extending between a tip and a root. The rotor blade further defines a span and a chord. The shell includes an inner skin, an outer skin, and a core disposed between the inner skin and the outer skin. The rotor blade assembly further includes a reinforcement assembly bonded to the shell, the reinforcement assembly comprising a reinforcement core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Edward McBeth Stewart
  • Patent number: 9689278
    Abstract: A rotor disk comprises a plurality of circumferentially distributed hooks, the set of hooks defining an annular groove adapted to cooperate with at least two flange sectors. At least one of the hooks comprises a second element through which a recess is formed which opens up at each of the transverse flanks of the second element and at the internal peripheral surface of the second element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Patrick Adenis, Claude Lejars, Silvain Lormier, Sylvain Poitout
  • Patent number: 9683629
    Abstract: A centrifugal force pendulum having a pendulum mass pair and a pendulum flange, in which an arcuate cut-out with a cut-out contour is provided, wherein the pendulum masses of the pendulum mass pair are situated on both sides of the pendulum flange and are connected to each other by at least one spacer bolt which is guided through the cut-out, wherein the spacer bolt has a damping arrangement which includes a stabilizing element and an elastic damping element, wherein the damping element is designed to damp a striking of the spacer bolt on the cut-out contour of the cut-out, wherein the damping element and the stabilizing element of the damping arrangement are positioned relative to each other so that the damping element is able to strike the cut-out contour of the cut-out directly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thorsten Krause, Kai Schenck
  • Patent number: 9657577
    Abstract: An airfoil comprises an airfoil body with an internal cavity and inner and outer covers. The airfoil body defines a first major surface of the airfoil, and a rib extends along the internal cavity. The inner cover is bonded to the airfoil body over the internal cavity, and includes a coupling element extending along the internal cavity in cooperative engagement with the rib. The outer cover is bonded to the airfoil body over the inner cover, and defines a second major surface of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Michael A. Weisse