Patents Assigned to Rolls-Royce plc
  • Patent number: 10047608
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for providing a balancing weight in a groove on a rotor disk in a gas turbine engine. The apparatus comprises an elongate reservoir for housing a hardenable material and an inflatable balloon in fluid communication with the distal end of the elongate reservoir. An actuator is provided for forcing the hardenable material from the elongate reservoir to inflate the inflatable balloon with hardenable material within the groove on the rotor disk. A sealing device for sealing the inflated inflatable element to form the balancing weight is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: James Phylip-Jones, Pascal Wilmes, Mattheus Bakker, Adegoke Gbadeyan
  • Publication number: 20180222172
    Abstract: This disclosure concerns a composite product having first and second components. At least one intermediate binding layer is located between the first and second components, and at least one electrically conductive member is located within the at least one intermediate layer. The at least one electrically conductive member is configured to generate thermal energy upon the application of an electrical current to the at least one electrically conductive member. The at least one intermediate layer is configured such that at least one characteristic of the at least one intermediate layer is altered where the thermal energy generated by the at least one electrically conductive member is above a pre-determined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Robert C. BACKHOUSE
  • Publication number: 20180221955
    Abstract: The present invention provides a processing method for processing a component formed by an ALM method using a ??-strengthened superalloy having a ?? solvus temperature. The processing method comprises: 1) surface finishing of the component; 2) hot isostatic pressing of the component at a temperature below the ?? solvus temperature; 3) solution heat treating the component at a temperature at or above the ?? solvus temperature but below the solidus temperature; 4) primary aging of the component at a primary aging temperature for a first aging time; and 5) secondary aging of the component at a secondary aging temperature for a second aging time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2018
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Yogiraj PARDHI
  • Patent number: 10041355
    Abstract: A fluidfoil includes a selectively fluid chargeable capillary and a flexible body adjacent the capillary, the shape of the flexible body being adjustable in use via controlling the degree to which the capillary is charged and therefore the forces that the capillary exerts on the flexible body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Zahid Muhammad Hussain, Michael Georg Kozuch
  • Patent number: 10040151
    Abstract: A machine tool comprising: a first body; a first leg, a second leg, and a third leg coupled to the first body via first joints and configured to support at least the first body; a second body including a tool holder; a fourth leg, a fifth leg, and a sixth leg coupled to the second body via second joints and configured to support at least the second body; and a first actuator coupled to the first body and to the second body, the first actuator being configured to cause rotational motion between the first body and the second body to enable a change in walking direction of the machine tool and/or to enable a change in machining stiffness and a change in work volume of the machine tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Dragos Aurelian Axinte, Xin Dong, James Kell
  • Patent number: 10041362
    Abstract: A lock plate of a bladed rotor arrangement is hollow. The bladed rotor arrangement comprises is a bladed turbine rotor of a gas turbine engine. The hollow lock plate has reduced weight compared to a solid lock plate and reduces the centrifugal load on the rim of the rotor and reduces the stresses in the lock plate groove on the rotor blade and hence increases the working life of the rotor and the working life of the rotor blade respectively. The lock plate may have radially extending chambers and openings to provide a flow of coolant onto the rotor posts of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: David Belshaw
  • Publication number: 20180214935
    Abstract: Described is a ceramic core for producing cast component for a gas turbine engine, the core comprising: a first cavity forming member; a second member adjacent to or opposite the first cavity forming member; and a removable web which joins the first and second members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Applicants: ROLLS-ROYCE plc, ROSS CERAMICS LTD.
    Inventors: Aleksander M. CENDROWICZ, Graham J. BING, Stewart T. WELCH
  • Publication number: 20180216631
    Abstract: A geared gas turbine engine comprises at least one compressor, at least one turbine, a fan, a gearbox and a support structure. At least one turbine is arranged to drive the fan via the gearbox. The fan is rotatably mounted in the support structure and the support structure supports the gearbox. The support structure includes a stator vane arrangement comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator vanes extending radially between inner and outer annular walls. The inner annular wall has two axially spaced radially inwardly extending annular flanges and a plurality of circumferentially spaced buttresses extending axially between the annular flanges. The outer annular wall has two axially spaced radially outwardly extending annular flanges and a plurality of circumferentially buttresses extending axially between the annular flanges. The flanges and buttresses increase the strength of the support structure to carry the torque loads of the gearbox.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Stewart T. THORNTON, Nicholas E. CHILTON
  • Publication number: 20180216475
    Abstract: There is disclosed a component (100,200) for a gas turbine engine (10). The component comprises first (23) and second (24) opposing aerodynamic surfaces with a trailing edge surface (36) therebetween. The trailing edge surface (36) forms a tapered trailing edge section (35) of the component. The trailing edge surface (36) is provided with one or more cooling openings (38) for ejecting a cooling fluid flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Stefan J. WAGNER
  • Patent number: 10038367
    Abstract: An electrical system including a three phase AC input supply and three or more H-bridge converter cells. Each H-bridge converter cell has: an active front end rectifier for receiving the three phase AC input supply and transforming it into a DC supply, thereby providing a rectifier current ii; a capacitor suitable to receive a capacitor current iC, the capacitor smoothing the DC supply; and an inverter suitable to receive an inverter current io, wherein io=ii?iC, said inverter transforming the received inverter current io into a single phase AC supply. The system also including a control subsystem, which provides a signal to each active front end rectifier to vary its respective rectifier current ii such that the difference between the rectifier current ii, provided by the active front end rectifier, and the inverter current io, received by the inverter, is substantially zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Xiong Liu, Michael A. Zagrodnik, Amit K. Gupta
  • Patent number: 10036273
    Abstract: A bleed valve for a gas turbine engine, the bleed valve comprising: an inlet coupled to an air source; and an outlet coupled to an air sink. The bleed valve also comprises a first stage of flow area modulation between the inlet and the outlet. Also a second stage of flow area modulation between the first stage and the outlet. The pressure can be equalized between the first and second stages. There is also an arrangement comprising a plurality of bleed valves and a controller to control the flow areas of at least one of the first and second stages of each bleed valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Michael Georg Kozuch, Zahid Muhammad Hussain, Kevin Mark Britchford
  • Patent number: 10035189
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing a canister 12 from a component 18 by forming an opening 30 in the canister wall thickness 14, 16 and introducing a pressurised fluid into the opening 14, 16 causing hydrostatic pressure build up between an internal canister surface 14 and the component 18, leading to the removal of the canister 12. This method and apparatus obviates the need to expend significant machining or chemical processing to remove the canister 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: John Harold Boswell, Daniel Clark
  • Patent number: 10036280
    Abstract: A transfer coupling has a static component and a rotatable component arranged in axial alignment. The static component includes a first number (n?1) of radially extending ports and the rotatable component has a second number (n) of radially extending ports, the radially extending ports arranged in a common circumferential plane, wherein the ports on each component are equally spaced around the component and the number of ports on a first of the components is one less than on the second of the components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignees: ROLLS-ROYCE plc, ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventor: Jack Francis Colebrooke
  • Publication number: 20180209280
    Abstract: A method (56) for fabricating an integral assembly (24) is disclosed. The method comprises providing (56) a first workpiece (26) having a first surface and a second workpiece (30) having a second surface (54), performing a first bonding process between the first surface of the first workpiece (26) and the second surface (54) of the second workpiece (30) the bulk material of the first workpiece having a friction weld property that makes it more difficult to weld than a friction weld property at the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: John P E FORSDIKE, Simon E. BRAY, Gavin J. BAXTER, Andrew R. WALPOLE
  • Publication number: 20180209281
    Abstract: A method (56) for fabricating an integral assembly (24) is disclosed. The method comprises providing (56) a first workpiece (26) having a first surface (46) and a second workpiece (28) having a second surface (50), performing a first bonding process between the first surface (46) of the first workpiece (26) and the second surface (50) of the second workpiece (28) to form a sub-assembly workpiece (48), and performing a second bonding process between a third surface (52) of the sub-assembly workpiece (48) and a fourth surface (54) of a third workpiece (30) to form the integral assembly (24). The material properties of the first workpiece (26) are different from material properties of the third workpiece (30).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: John H. BOSWELL, Andrew R. WALPOLE
  • Publication number: 20180209774
    Abstract: A method of measuring the perimetric width of a hollow component. The hollow component comprises a first panel and a second panel, with the first and second panels being bonded to one another around their respective perimeters, and a perimetric width being defined as the width of the bonded portion joining the first panel to the second panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Wu Xin Charles NG, Wei Hock TEH, Shao Chun YE, Kevin Hau-Kong CHAN
  • Patent number: 10030536
    Abstract: A combination of a gas turbine pressure sensing assembly and an engine electronics unit. The pressure sensing assembly includes a pressure manifold having an air inlet and one or more air outlets. The pressure sensing assembly further includes one or more pressure sensors connected to the air outlets to sense the pressure of air entering through the air inlet. The engine electronics unit in operation produces waste heat. The pressure sensing assembly further includes a heat conduction path which thermally connects the engine electronics unit to the manifold such that the manifold acts as a sink for the waste heat. The temperature rise of the manifold produced by the waste heat preventing icing of the manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: David Brookes
  • Patent number: 10030522
    Abstract: A turbomachine blade comprising a blade tip and a metallic leading edge having a plurality of shear zones angled to the blade tip, wherein the shear strength of the shear zones is less than the shear strength of the remainder of the leading edge, such that in the event of an impact shear is initially initiated at the shear zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Christopher Benson
  • Patent number: 10031111
    Abstract: A method of machining an object, the method comprising: receiving a signal from an ultrasonic transducer; determining at least a first external surface of the object and a second internal surface of the object in the received signal; determining a thickness between the first external surface and the second internal surface of the object, the object comprising a first material between the first external surface and the second internal surface, and a second material between the second internal surface and a third surface, the determination of the thickness using a database including a plurality of materials and a plurality of associated acoustic wave velocities; and controlling machining of the first external surface using the determined thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Daniel Clark, David C. Wright
  • Patent number: 10033378
    Abstract: A solid state power control apparatus includes: (a) at least one IGBT and at least one FET, for supplying current to a load, and (b) a current controller for shutting off the IGBT and FET. The current controller is arranged to start shut off of the IGBT before it starts shut off of the FET. Further, the current controller is arranged to reduce current flow prior to start of the turn off of the IGBT and FET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: Simon Turvey