Patents Assigned to RTX Corporation
  • Ceramic matrix composite with interfacial coating system
    Patent number: 11919819
    Abstract: A ceramic matrix composite includes a ceramic matrix, fibers embedded in the ceramic matrix, and an interfacial coating system on each of the fibers. The interfacial coating system includes alternating layers of boron nitride layers of individual thicknesses of about 50 nanometers to 200 nanometers and carbon layers of individual thicknesses of less than 5 nanometers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nitin Garg, Olivier H. Sudre, Cristal Chan, John H. Shaw, Ben Callaway
  • Condensation-based redox flow battery rebalancing
    Patent number: 11923583
    Abstract: In a redox flow battery (RFB), the base solvent of the electrolytes tends to migrate across the barrier layer from one electrode toward the other. This can result in a volume and concentration imbalance between the electrolytes that is detrimental to battery efficiency and capacity. Compatible electrolytes can be mixed to rebalance the system, but for incompatible electrolytes mixing is not a viable option. To this end, the RFB herein includes a separator that recovers base solvent from the vapor phase of one of the electrolytes and returns the recovered base solvent to the other electrolyte to thereby reverse the imbalance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: James D. Saraidaridis, Zhiwei Yang
  • Liquid and hydrogen/methane fuel injector
    Patent number: 11920525
    Abstract: Fuel injectors for gas turbine engines include an inner housing having a center body installed within the inner housing, an intermediate housing arranged radially outward from the inner housing, and an outer housing arranged radially outward from the intermediate housing. The center body is a hollow body structure defining a center body airflow passage therethrough, a first fluid passage is partially defined between an outer surface of the inner housing and an inner surface of the intermediate housing, a second fluid passage is partially defined within the intermediate housing, and a third fluid passage comprises the center body airflow passage, an inner airflow passage defined between an exterior surface of the center body and an interior surface of the inner housing, and an outer airflow passage that is defined by the outer housing and radially outward from the intermediate housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Timothy S. Snyder
  • Cooling turbine engine fuel-air mixer with steam
    Patent number: 11920792
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for a turbine engine. This apparatus includes a fuel-air mixer, and the fuel-air mixer includes an inner passage, a sidewall, a steam passage, a fuel nozzle and an air swirler. The inner passage extends axially along an axis within the fuel-air mixer. The sidewall extends circumferentially around and axially along the inner passage. The steam passage is embedded within the sidewall and extends along the inner passage. The fuel nozzle is configured to direct fuel into the inner passage. The air swirler is configured to direct swirled air into the inner passage for mixing with the fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gregory Boardman
  • Oil filtration system
    Patent number: 11918934
    Abstract: An oil filtration system includes an oil chamber inlet. Also included is a first screen defining a first chamber volume that receives an oil flow from the oil chamber inlet, the first screen having a first mesh coarseness. Further included is a second screen surrounding the first screen to define a second chamber volume surrounding the first chamber volume, the second screen having a second mesh coarseness that is greater than the first mesh coarseness. Yet further included is at least one exit nozzle having an exit cross-sectional area that is greater than or equal to a cross-sectional area of apertures of the second screen. Also included is a bypass valve disposed in a first position during a first pressure condition within the first chamber volume and in a second position during a second pressure condition within the first chamber volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Nicholas D. Leque
  • Microstructured fiber interface coatings for composites
    Patent number: 11919820
    Abstract: Disclosed is a coated ceramic fiber including a silicon carbide coating layer adjacent to the ceramic fiber and a silicon dioxide coating layer adjacent to the silicon carbide coating layer, wherein the silicon dioxide coating layer forms micro cracks after a crystal structure transformation. The coated ceramic fiber may be included in a composite material having a ceramic matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard Wesley Jackson, Ying She, Gajawalli V. Srinivasan
  • Inter-cooled preheat of steam injected turbine engine
    Patent number: 11920526
    Abstract: A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a core engine that includes a core flow path where a core flow is compressed in a compressor section, communicated to a combustor section, mixed with a hydrogen-based fuel and ignited to generate a gas flow that is expanded through a turbine section. A fuel system is configured to supply a hydrogen based fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path. A condenser is arranged along the core flow path and configured to extract water from the gas flow. An intercooling system receives a portion of water from the condenser for cooling a portion of the core flow at a first location within the compressor section. Heated water from the intercooling system is exhausted to a second location within the core flow path downstream of the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Neil J. Terwilliger, Nathan A. Snape, Joseph B. Staubach
  • Condenser for hydrogen steam injected turbine engine
    Patent number: 11920515
    Abstract: A propulsion system for an aircraft includes a hydrogen fuel system suppling hydrogen fuel to the combustor through a fuel flow path. A condenser extracts water from a high energy gas flow. The condenser includes a plurality of rotating passages that are disposed within a collector. The passages are configured to rotate about a condenser axis to generate a transverse pressure gradient to direct water out of the high energy gas flow toward the collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Abbas A. Alahyari
  • Fiber reinforced composite and method of making
    Patent number: 11919821
    Abstract: A void filler material includes a ceramic rod and a fibrous overwrap. The void filler material may be used in a ceramic matrix composite. The method of making the ceramic matrix composite includes inserting the void filler material in voids of a preform and depositing a ceramic matrix on the preform and the void filler material using chemical vapor infiltration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Brendan M. Lenz
  • Cooling air for gas turbine engine with thermally isolated cooling air delivery
    Patent number: 11920485
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a plurality of rotating components housed within a compressor section and a turbine section. A first tap is connected to the compressor section and configured to deliver air at a first pressure. A heat exchanger is connected downstream of the first tap. A flowpath is defined between a rotating surface and a non-rotating surface. The flowpath is connected downstream of the heat exchanger and is configured to deliver air to at least one of the plurality of rotating components. At least a portion of the non-rotating surface and the rotating surface includes a base metal. An insulation material is disposed on a surface along the flowpath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick M. Schwarz, Nathan Snape
  • Additive manufacturing system and method of manufacture
    Patent number: 11921490
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing method includes segmenting a CAD file of a component along a build interface to define at least a first component segment and a second component segment, each of the first component segment and the second component segment sized to fit within an additive manufacturing build chamber; additive manufacturing the first component segment and the second component segment within the build chamber; and bonding the first component segment and the second component segment to form the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventor: Steven W. Burd
  • Gas turbine engine including flow path flex seal with cooling air bifurcation
    Patent number: 11920487
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a primary flow path fluidly connecting a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. A cooling air flowpath is positioned radially outward of the primary flowpath. A first seal spans from an inner diameter of the cooling air flowpath to an outer diameter of the cooling air flowpath. The first seal includes at least one axial convolution and a plurality of pass through features. A bifurcation feature is positioned downstream of the first seal. The bifurcation feature is configured to direct a portion of an airflow through the first seal into a cooling air passage. A second seal contacts the bifurcation and the first seal, such that fluid radially inward of the bifurcation feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas E. Clark, Andrew E. Breault
  • Method of forming an abrasive coating on a fan blade tip
    Patent number: 11920245
    Abstract: A novel method of depositing grit particles onto a fan blade tip coating is provided. The method enhances grit capture by presenting a softened coating surface for the impinging particles. The softened surface is achieved without high substrate temperatures that could degrade the base metal properties in the fan blade. An auxiliary heat source is used to establish a locally heated and softened surface where the grit deposition takes place. The softened surface greatly increases the probability of grit capture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher W. Strock, Paul M. Lutjen
  • Ceramic matrix composite-based seal
    Patent number: 11920477
    Abstract: A seal includes a ceramic matrix composite ply having woven ceramic-based fibers in a ceramic-based matrix. The ceramic matrix composite ply has at least one bend formed about a bend axis and defines at least one rounded portion. A sealed assembly and a method of making a seal are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventor: Olivier H. Sudre
  • Deposition Apparatus and Methods for Sequential Coating
    Publication number: 20240068102
    Abstract: A deposition apparatus comprises: an infeed chamber; a preheat chamber; a deposition chamber; and optionally at least one of a cooldown chamber and an outlet chamber. At least a first of the preheat chamber and the cooldown chamber contains a buffer system for buffering workpieces respectively passing to or from the deposition chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: RTX Corporation
    Inventors: James W. Neal, David A. Litton, Brian T. Hazel, Michael J. Maloney, Eric M. Jorzik
  • MAIN MIXER IN AN AXIAL STAGED COMBUSTOR FOR A GAS TURBINE ENGINE
    Publication number: 20240068665
    Abstract: A main mixer including a swirler along an axis, the swirler including an outer swirler with a multiple of outer vanes, and a center swirler with a multiple of center vanes and a swirler hub along the axis, the swirler hub including a fuel manifold and an inner swirler with a multiple of inner vanes that support a centerbody, the multiple of inner vanes interconnect the fuel manifold and the centerbody.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: RTX Corporation
    Inventors: Zhongtao Dai, Lance L. Smith, Jeffrey M. Cohen
  • Air seal system with backside abradable layer
    Patent number: 11913340
    Abstract: A seal system for a gas turbine engine includes a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) seal arc segment and a carrier supporting the CMC seal arc segment. The CMC seal arc segment defines radially inner and outer sides and has an abradable layer disposed on the radially outer side. There is a cooling cavity radially between the carrier and the abradable layer. The carrier includes a ridge that projects into a groove in the abradable layer and provides a labyrinth seal that partitions the cooling cavity into sub-cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dean Johnson, Thomas E. Clark
  • Gas turbine engine vane and spar combination with variable air flow path
    Patent number: 11913348
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine stator vane combination includes a stator vane body having an airfoil with a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction side and a pressure side, and having at least one internal cooling channel. The stator vane body is formed of ceramic matrix composite materials. A spar is received within the at least one cooling air channel and formed of a metal. The spar has an outer peripheral surface spaced from an inner peripheral surface of the cooling air channel to define a cooling air path, with the cooling air path having a varying cross-sectional area through the cooling air channel. A gas turbine engine is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventors: Jonas Banhos, James T. Roach
  • Forming lined cooling aperture(s) in a turbine engine component
    Patent number: 11913358
    Abstract: A manufacturing method is provided. During this method, a preform component is provided for a turbine engine. The preform component includes a substrate. A meter section of a cooling aperture is formed in the substrate. An internal coating is applied onto a surface of the meter section. An external coating is applied over the substrate. A diffuser section of the cooling aperture is formed in the external coating and the substrate to provide the cooling aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brian Craig, James M. Koonankeil, Brian T. Hazel, Paul E. Denney, Dominic J. Mongillo
  • System and method for dual pulse-echo sub-surface detection
    Patent number: 11913911
    Abstract: A system for detecting a sub-surface defect comprising a transducer fluidly coupled to a part located in a tank containing a liquid configured to transmit ultrasonic energy, the transducer configured to scan the part to create scan data of the scanned part; a pulser/receiver coupled to the transducer configured to receive and transmit the scan data; a processor coupled to the pulser/receiver, the processor configured to communicate with the pulser/receiver and collect the scan data; and the processor configured to detect the sub-surface defect and the processor configured to have a sub-surface defect confidence assessment and a prioritization for further human evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: RTX Corporation
    Inventors: Mahmoud El Chamie, Amit Surana, Christoph Schulze, Ayman Elkfrawy, Matthew L. Brantley, Jr., Ozgur Erdinc