Patents Assigned to Rolls-Royce plc
  • Method of reducing burn-on time
    Patent number: 11059238
    Abstract: A method of reducing a burn-on time of a composite component including a body comprising a plurality of fibres layered between a front face of the body and a rear face of the body within a matrix material, wherein the body comprises an edge face between the front face and the rear face at least partially formed by edges of the layers of fibres. The method comprising shaping an edge portion of the body in order to control a local concentration of vapours from the matrix material at the edge face of the body, the vapours having been produced during heating of the composite component and having passed between the layers of fibre of the body to the edge face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Christopher L Green
  • Method of designing a plybook for a composite component
    Patent number: 11059240
    Abstract: Methods of designing a plybook for a composite component are disclosed. Included method comprising: defining a component volume corresponding to the composite component to be manufactured; defining a plurality of successive plies of composite material to fill the component volume; simulating at least some of the plurality of successive plies of composite material based on an estimate of variable cured ply thickness, wherein the variable cured ply thickness is estimated by: simulating at least a portion of a respective ply of composite material; and estimating a cured ply thickness for the portion of composite material at least partly based on local conditions of the portion. A plybook is defined based on the plurality of simulated plies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Ashley Barnes, Darren Ivor James
  • Electrical machine apparatus
    Patent number: 11063494
    Abstract: Electrical machine apparatus comprising: a rotor having a longitudinal axis and being arranged to rotate about the longitudinal axis in a first circumferential direction, the rotor defining one or more conduits for receiving fluid therein, the one or more conduits including an inlet and an outlet; and a fluid guide defining a first aperture arranged to direct fluid in a second direction towards the rotor, the second direction having a positive circumferential component in the first circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventor: Rory D. Stieger
  • EFFICIENT GAS TURBINE ENGINE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION
    Publication number: 20210207483
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine that has improved fuel burn provides operability and/or maintenance requirements when installed on an aircraft. The gas turbine engine is provided with a core compressor that includes twelve, thirteen or fourteen rotor stages. The gas turbine engine has a ratio of a core compressor aspect ratio divided by a core compressor pressure ratio is in the range of from 0.03 to 0.09. This results in an optimum balance between installation benefits, operability, maintenance requirements and engine efficiency when the gas turbine engine is installed on an aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Nicholas HOWARTH, Gareth M ARMSTRONG
  • GAS TURBINE ENGINE
    Publication number: 20210207528
    Abstract: A highly efficient gas turbine engine is provided. The fan of the gas turbine engine is driven from a turbine via a gearbox, such that the fan has a lower rotational speed than the driving turbine, thereby providing efficiency gains. The efficient fan system is mated to a core that has low cooling flow requirements and/or high temperature capability, and which may have particularly low mass for a given power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Pascal DUNNING, Roderick M. TOWNES, Michael J. WHITTLE
  • COLD SPRAYING
    Publication number: 20210207271
    Abstract: A method comprising: cold-spraying a surface of a substrate with a bond material to form a bond coating; and cold-spraying a surface of the bond coating with a coating material to form a top coating. The bond material is different from the coating material and harder than the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Feng LI, Iulian MARINESCU, Adrian WY TAN, Sun WEN, Erjia LIU
  • Compression in a gas turbine engine
    Patent number: 11053842
    Abstract: An engine core including turbine, compressor, and core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor, wherein a compressor exit temperature has an average airflow; and a fan upstream including a plurality of fan blades extending from a hub, each fan blade having a leading and trailing edge, wherein a fan rotor entry temperature has an average airflow across the leading edge of each blade at cruise conditions and fan tip rotor exit temperature has an average temperature of airflow across a radially outer portion of each blade at the trailing edge cruise conditions. A fan tip temperature rise as: the ? ? fan ? ? tip ? ? rotor ? ? exit ? ? temperature the ? ? fan ? ? rotor ? ? entry ? ? temperature .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Craig W Bemment, Pascal Dunning
  • Supersonic aircraft turbofan
    Patent number: 11053886
    Abstract: A turbofan engine having: an engine core having a centre axis and including in flow series a compressor, a combustor and a turbine; and a bypass duct surrounding the engine core, the bypass duct has a bypass duct exit area at its downstream end. The engine further includes an exhaust nozzle assembly including: coaxially arranged inner mixer and outer exhaust nozzles, the exhaust nozzle being axially downstream of said mixer nozzle; a core flow duct defined by the mixer nozzle, the core flow duct having a core exit area; and an exhaust duct defined at least in part by the exhaust nozzle downstream of the mixer nozzle, the exhaust duct having an exhaust throat area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: John R Whurr, Conor Hickey
  • Turbine engine
    Patent number: 11053947
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft includes an engine core including a turbine, compressor, and core shaft connecting turbine to compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core and including a plurality of fan blades each having a leading and trailing edge. The turbine includes a lowest pressure turbine stage having a row of rotor blades, each rotor blades extending radially and having a leading and trailing edge. The engine has a fan tip axis that joins a radially outer tip of the leading edge of a fan blade and the radially outer tip of the trailing edge of a rotor blade of the lowest pressure stage. The fan tip axis lies in a longitudinal plane which contains a centreline of engine. A fan axis angle is defined as the angle between fan tip axis and centreline, and is in a range between 10 and 20 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Richard G Stretton, Michael C Willmot
  • Gas turbine engine having a metallic test sample and a method of determining the service life of a gas turbine engine component using a metallic test sample
    Patent number: 11053859
    Abstract: A method of determining the service life of a gas turbine engine component comprises providing, within a gas turbine engine, a component having an air washed surface, the component comprises a metal, wherein the air washed surface receives a supply of cooling air from a chamber within the gas turbine engine. The method also comprises mounting a metallic test sample within the chamber so as to be located in the supply of air which is delivered to the air washed surface. The metallic test sample is constructed of the same metal as the component. The method further comprises removing the metallic test sample and determining the degree of corrosion of the metallic test sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Grant J. Gibson
  • Inspection system
    Patent number: 11054341
    Abstract: A hand-mounted inspection system, configured to be mounted on a user's hand, comprising: an imaging unit, configured to provide images from at least one point of view located on the user's hand; and a measuring unit, configured to provide data relating to a physical property measured at a measurement location on the user's hand. The measuring unit includes a sensor configured to provide a measurement between two measurement locations, each of the two measurement locations being located on a digit of the user's hand, a tip of a digit of the user's hand, on the phalanges of a digit of a user's hand, on the palm of the user's hand or on the back of the user's hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Dragos A Axinte, James Kell, Xin Dong, David Alatorre Troncoso
  • FLUID ATOMIZER
    Publication number: 20210197218
    Abstract: A fluid atomizer and methods of atomizing fluids are disclosed. The fluid atomizer may comprise an inner member and one or more outer members. The inner member defines an interior conduit for providing a first-fluid flowpath from a supply end of the atomizer to a discharge end of the atomizer along a central axis. The one or more outer members are positioned radially outward of the inner member from the central axis. The inner and outer members define a second-fluid flowpath extending from a second-fluid supply conduit to a second-fluid discharge plenum. The second-fluid flowpath comprises a tangential conduit spiraling along the axis from the second-fluid supply conduit to a terminal end; an annulus downstream from and in fluid communication with the tangential conduit; and a second-fluid discharge plenum downstream from and in fluid communication with the annulus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicants: Rolls-Royce Corporation, Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Neal Thomson, Christopher Walters
  • Gas turbine engine with efficient thrust generation
    Patent number: 11047301
    Abstract: A highly efficient gas turbine engine includes the fan of the gas turbine engine driven from a turbine via a gearbox, such that the fan has a lower rotational speed than the driving turbine, thereby providing efficiency gains. The efficient fan system is mated to a core that has low cooling flow requirements and/or high temperature capability, and which may have particularly low mass for a given power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Pascal Dunning, Michael J Whittle, Roderick M Townes
  • Rotor blade arrangement
    Patent number: 11047244
    Abstract: A bladed disc comprising a disc hub; a set of blades angularly distributed around the disc hub; wherein there is variation in a geometric parameter between the blades. The blades are positioned around the disc hub such that for a majority of pairs of neighbouring blades in the set, an interval between values of the geometric parameter between the blades of the pair is less than 0.5 standard deviations of the geometric parameter for the set of blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Bharat M Lad
  • Core duct assembly
    Patent number: 11047311
    Abstract: A core duct assembly for a gas turbine engine, the core duct assembly including: a core duct including an outer and an inner wall, the outer wall having an interior surface; a gas flow path member extending across the gas flow path at least partly between the inner and outer walls, the rotor blade having a radial span extending from a blade platform to a blade tip, wherein an upstream wall axis is defined as an axis tangential to a point on a first portion of the interior surface of the outer wall of the core duct extending downstream from the gas flow path member, the upstream wall axis lying in a longitudinal plane of the gas turbine engine containing the rotational axis of the engine, and wherein the upstream wall axis intersects the rotor blade at a point spaced radially inward from the blade tip of the rotor blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Ian J Bousfield, Duncan A MacDougall
  • Gas turbine engine with optimized fan, core passage inlet, and compressor forward stage diameter ratios
    Patent number: 11047339
    Abstract: An aircraft gas turbine engine comprises a fan coupled to a fan drive turbine, the fan being configured to provide a bypass flow (B) and a core flow (A) in use. The engine includes a reduction gearbox which couples the fan to the fan drive turbine and a core compressor arrangement. The core compressor arrangement has a core inlet at an upstream end of a core gas flow passage (A) defined by radially inner and outer walls, and at least a first compressor rotor blade provided at an upstream end of the compressor arrangement. The radially inner wall of the core inlet defines a first diameter (DINLET), and a root leading edge of the first compressor rotor blade defines a second diameter (DCOMP). A first ratio (DINLET:DCOMP) of the first diameter (DCOMP) to the second diameter (DCOMP) is greater than or equal to 1.4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: James M. Pointon, Stephen J. Bradbrook
  • SHAFT BEARINGS
    Publication number: 20210189963
    Abstract: An aircraft gas turbine engine has an engine core having a turbine, compressor, and core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor, the turbine being the lowest pressure turbine and having a turbine length being the distance between the roots of the most upstream turbine blade at its leading edge and of the most downstream turbine blade trailing edge, and the compressor being the lowest pressure compressor of the engine; a fan located upstream of the engine; and a gearbox receiving an input from the core shaft and outputting drive to the fan. The engine core has three bearings to support the core shaft, the three bearings having a forward bearing and two rearward bearings, with a minor span defined as the distance between the two rearward bearings, and wherein further a minor span to turbine length ratio of: minor ? ? span tu ? ? rbine ? ? length is equal to or less than 1.05.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Chathura K KANNANGARA, Punitha KAMESH, Jillian C GASKELL
  • GAS TURBINE ENGINE WITH A THREE BEARINGS SHAFT
    Publication number: 20210189908
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine for an aircraft has an engine core including a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor, the turbine being the lowest pressure turbine of the engine and the compressor being the lowest pressure compressor of the engine; a fan located upstream of the engine core; and a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan. The engine core further has three bearings arranged to support the core shaft, and two rearward bearings, and wherein the forward most rearward bearing has a bearing stiffness defined by the radial displacement caused by the application of a radial force at the axial centerpoint of the bearing, and wherein a stiffness ratio of the bearing stiffness at the forward most rearward bearing to the minor span is in the range from 0.08 to 0.5 kN/mm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Jillian C GASKELL, Chathura K KANNANGARA, Punitha KAMESH
  • SHAFT BEARINGS FOR GAS TURBINE ENGINE
    Publication number: 20210190009
    Abstract: An engine core including a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor, the turbine being the lowest pressure turbine of the engine and the compressor being the lowest pressure compressor of the engine; a fan located upstream of the engine core; and a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan. The engine core further includes three bearings arranged to support the core shaft, the three bearings including a forward bearing and two rearward bearings, and wherein the forwardmost rearward bearing has a bearing stiffness in the range of 30 kN/mm to 100 kN/mm, the bearing stiffness being defined by the radial displacement caused by the application of a radial force at the axial centrepoint of the bearing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Jillian C GASKELL, Chathura K KANNANGARA, Punitha KAMESH
  • GEARED GAS TURBINE ENGINE
    Publication number: 20210190011
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine generates noise during use, and one particularly important flight condition for noise generation is take-off. A gas turbine engine that has high efficiency provides low noise, in particular from the fan and the turbine that drives the fan. Values are defined for a noise parameter NP that results in a gas turbine engine having reduced combined fan and turbine noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Alastair D MOORE, Robert J TELLING