Patents Examined by Aaron Jagoda
  • Patent number: 8834123
    Abstract: A turbomachinery blade for a gas turbine engine is provided and includes an airfoil extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. In one embodiment the turbomachinery blade is a compressor blade. The blade can include a platform attached to the airfoil on one side, the other side being attached to a stalk having a lower attachment portion useful for being received in a compressor disk. The blade includes an undercut beneath a portion of the airfoil, preferably beneath the leading edge and/or trailing edge of the airfoil. In one form the undercut is located in a corner of the platform and extends partially along two sides of the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel K. Morrison
  • Patent number: 8821128
    Abstract: A rotor blade (1) with adaptive twisting, the blade being provided with an outer covering (2) extending along a pitch variation axis (AY) from a first end zone (3) to a second end zone (4), the outer covering (2) defining an internal cavity (8). The blade includes a strip (10) extending inside said cavity (8) along said pitch variation axis (AY), said strip (10) comprising a composite material that is anisotropic so as to be suitable for twisting under the effect of centrifugal forces (F) directed parallel to said pitch variation axis (AY) when the blade (1) is in rotation, said strip (10) being fastened to said outer covering (2) via first and second fastener means (11, 12) in order to be capable of twisting said outer covering (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
    Inventors: Laurent Bianchi, Rémy Cuenca, Mathieu Galan, Damien Reveillon
  • Patent number: 8807915
    Abstract: A double casing type pump and a performance adjusting method allow for adjustment of the performance of the pump, especially the head of the pump, without large-scale work or component disassembly. The pump includes impellers fixed to a rotation shaft, an inner casing shrouding the impellers, an outer casing shrouding the inner casing and having a suction opening and a discharge opening. A space is formed between the inner and outer casings that communicates with the discharge opening. A bypass hole connects the space to the working fluid passage in the inner casing and has a throat diameter adjusting member. A plurality of throat diameter adjusting members are prepared in advance, each member having different throat area. One of the throat diameter adjusting members is selected so that the performance of the pump remains within a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Moritsugu, Satoaki Aoki, Hidetoshi Fukuta
  • Patent number: 8801386
    Abstract: A turbine blade is described which includes a blade root; a blade tip; a leading edge extending from the blade root to the blade tip; a trailing edge extending from the blade root to the blade tip; a blade root chord defined as a straight line between the leading edge and the trailing edge at the blade root; a blade tip chord defined as a straight line between the leading edge and the trailing edge at the blade tip; wherein the blade tip chord is angularly displaced from the blade root chord by a twist angle of between 50° and 90°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Atlantis Resources Corporation PTE Limited
    Inventors: John Keir, Sutthiphong Srigrarom
  • Patent number: 8794913
    Abstract: A steam turbine facility suppresses the possibility of vibration from occurring and prevents a drastic increase in facility cost, thereby realizing an increase in size of the facility, even if steam conditions of 650° C. or higher are adopted. In the steam turbine facility including a high-pressure turbine, an intermediate-pressure turbine, and a low-pressure turbine, the intermediate-pressure turbine is separated into a first intermediate-pressure turbine on a high-temperature and high-pressure side and a second intermediate-pressure turbine on a low-temperature and low-temperature side. At least any one of the rotors and casings of the steam-introduction-side turbines into which steam with a temperature of 650° C. or higher is introduced is formed from Ni-based alloy, and at least any one of the overall rotors and the overall casings of the turbines are constructed by joining together a plurality of rotor members or casing members by welding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shin Nishimoto, Yoshinori Tanaka, Tatsuaki Fujikawa, Ryuichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8790088
    Abstract: A compressor having a compressor blade with a blade tip portion configured to reduce stresses in the blade tip of the compressor blade is provided. The compressor blade includes a first and second faces extending to the blade tip portion. The blade tip portion includes a blade tip, a first recess extending between the first face and the blade tip, and a second recess extending between the second face and the blade tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John David Dyer, Madhusudan Rao Pothumarthi, Lynn M. Naparty, Michael Ericson Friedman
  • Patent number: 8784057
    Abstract: A disc rotor blade retraction system includes a main blade spar incorporating a hydraulic cylinder and having a screw thread. A ball screw is concentrically carried within the main blade spar and is operably connected to a ball nut which has an outboard end connected to an intermediate spar with a hydraulic piston received for reciprocation in the hydraulic cylinder. A first geared actuator engages the ball screw and a second geared actuator engages the main blade spar screw thread. A hydraulic fluid accumulator providing pressurized hydraulic fluid is connected to an outboard end of the hydraulic cylinder and a controller actuates the first and second geared actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Daniel M. Podgurski
  • Patent number: 8784056
    Abstract: A system includes a creep indicating member on a rotating component, and a measurement device configured to measure a change in radial position of the creep indicating member. The system allows determination of, for example, rotating component life expectancy in a turbine, without exposing the rotating component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Fred Thomas Willett, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8777566
    Abstract: A casing includes an inner shell and an outer shell that surrounds the inner shell and comprises a plurality of inflection points. An annular flange is between the inner shell and the outer shell, and a plurality of joints attach the inner shell to the annular flange. A connector is between the annular flange and the outer shell at each of the plurality of inflection points. A method for assembling a casing includes joining a plurality of curved sections to one another to generally define an arcuate inner shell and surrounding the arcuate inner shell with an outer shell. The method further includes attaching the arcuate inner shell to an annular flange at first attachment points and connecting the annular flange to the outer shell at second attachment points spaced approximately equidistantly from the first attachment points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Stephen Christopher Chieco, Henry Grady Ballard, Ian David Wilson, Martel Alexander McCallum, Kenneth Damon Black, Christopher Paul Cox
  • Patent number: 8770944
    Abstract: A component such as a turbine bucket or blade, and method for making the component, are presented. One embodiment is an article that comprises an airfoil casting portion comprising a plurality of integral regions, wherein the plurality of integral regions comprises a single-crystalline region and a columnar-grained region. Another embodiment is a method for fabricating an article. The method comprises providing a quantity of molten metal; providing a mold defining an airfoil portion having an axial direction and a transverse direction, wherein the airfoil portion of the mold comprises a single-crystal growth region and a columnar growth region disposed along the transverse direction from the single crystal growth region; introducing the molten metal into the mold; and solidifying the metal such that a solidification front progresses in the axial direction to produce an airfoil casting portion comprising a single-crystalline region and a columnar-grained region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Akane Suzuki, Stephen Francis Rutkowski, Michale Francis Xavier Gigliotti, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8757973
    Abstract: An adjusting device for adjusting the rotation angle position of the rotor of a wind energy system should be improved by the invention, whereby a complicated processing of the brake disc previously used for engagement of the drive is no longer necessary, and whereby said brake disc can be flexibly arranged in an area with sufficient construction space. For this purpose, the adjusting device has at least one force transducer wheel and/or a force transducing disc which is mounted or can be mounted on a shaft (1) of the drive train which is switched downstream from the rotor, which is structured for engagement of a force transmitting means, and is designed as an independent component. The device also has a drive means for producing a drive force, and at least one force transmission means for transmitting the drive force to the force transducer wheel and/or the force transducing disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Kenersys GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Hüsken, Ulf Nosthoff, Ulrich Uphues, Markus Becker
  • Patent number: 8757980
    Abstract: A one-piece rotor spool for a gas turbine engine extending along the axis of the engine is disclosed. The spool includes an upstream portion and a downstream portion that are radially offset relative to one another. The radially outer downstream portion includes a plurality of housings for rotor blades formed in the outer surface of the radially outer downstream portion. The radially inner upstream portion includes an attachment mechanism designed to interact with a rotor ring in order to prevent a tangential movement of the rotor ring relative to the radially inner upstream portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Olivier Belmonte, Lionel Rene Henri Weller
  • Patent number: 8753078
    Abstract: A guide vane assembly for a turbomachine, comprising a guide vane and a liner: the guide vane comprising an aerofoil portion having a radially outer platform, wherein one of the outer platform and the liner has a hook element, the hook element comprising an opening and a circumferentially extending channel, and the other one of the outer platform and the liner comprises a retaining element having a head portion, wherein in an operational orientation the head portion located within the channel and is too wide to be withdrawn through the opening of the hook element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Keith R. F. Speed, Keith C. Sadler
  • Patent number: 8753074
    Abstract: A passive leakage device for an axial turbomachine, more particularly for a low-pressure compressor of an axial turbomachine, is adapted to reduce and/or eliminate the surging phenomenon within the machine. The passive leakage device includes an insert having a general cylindrical shape with a flange at one end and a bottom or membrane at the other end. The membrane comprises two cross-shaped notches, the notches being adapted to enable a deformation of the membrane under a pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold, so as to allow a leakage to go through the membrane. Several inserts are arranged through the wall of a compressor casing, distributed over one or several circumferences of the casing, facing one or several rows of rotor blades. In the case of a double-flow turbomachine, such as a jet engine, the beak for separating the primary and secondary flows is used to form a chamber for communication between the inserts and for compensation with the pressure present in the secondary flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Techspace Aero S.A.
    Inventor: Frederic Vallino
  • Patent number: 8747072
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an improved first stage airfoil for a compressor blade having a unique chord length (CD) stagger angle (?) and camber angle (??). The stagger angle (?) and camber angle (??) provide improved aerodynamics while the chord length (CD) provides for reduced airfoil weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Marco Micheli, Wolfgang Kappis
  • Patent number: 8747066
    Abstract: A gas turbine housing component includes a wall structure including two adjacent wall parts and a connection arrangement arranged between adjacent edges of the two wall parts. The connection arrangement includes an elongated seal strip positioned along the wall part edges and bridging the distance between the wall part edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Volvo Aero Corporation
    Inventors: Linda Ström, Jonas Lindskog, Per Widström
  • Patent number: 8740548
    Abstract: A compressor variable stator vane arrangement comprises at least one stage of variable stator vanes. A speed sensor measures the rotational speed of the compressor rotor. A pressure sensor measures the outlet pressure of the compressor. A second pressure sensor, a temperature sensor and a third pressure sensor measure the total inlet pressure, the temperature and the ambient pressure at the inlet of the gas turbine engine. A processor determines a target operating line as a function of ambient pressure and total inlet pressure. The target operating line is defined to ensure the gas turbine engine operates simultaneously at both the minimum required compressor speed and the minimum required compressor outlet pressure when commanded to idle to minimize idle thrust and fuel burn. The processor determines if the operating point of the compressor, defined in terms of corrected outlet pressure and corrected rotational speed of the compressor rotor is above or below the target operating line of the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Arthur L. Rowe, Marc Pons Perez, Cerith Davies
  • Patent number: 8740563
    Abstract: A method of assembling a sealing assembly for use in a turbomachine includes providing a rotatable element that includes an end portion with a plurality of grooves partially extending circumferentially about a portion of an outer surface of the end portion of the rotatable element. The method also includes providing a stationary portion that includes an upper section and a lower section. The method further includes inserting at least a portion of the end portion of the rotatable element into the lower section. The method also includes coupling the upper section to the lower section, thereby defining a rotor shaft cavity. The end portion of the rotatable element at least partially extends through the rotor shaft cavity, thereby defining a clearance between the end portion of the rotatable element and the stationary portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sudhakar Neeli, Joshy John
  • Patent number: 8740566
    Abstract: A brake system for a wind turbine with integrated rotor lock, generator and wind turbine are disclosed. The brake system includes a rotor lock system which is integrated in the brake system. One embodiment includes an actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder. Another embodiment includes a rotor assembly with a brake disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Uffe Eriksen, Jens Anton Agerskov Veng
  • Patent number: 8734085
    Abstract: A turbine section of a gas turbine engine is described, which includes an aftmost rotor extending, an aftmost stator located upstream of the aftmost rotor, and a second to last aftmost rotor located upstream of the aftmost stator. The second to last aftmost rotor being spaced apart a first axial distance from the aftmost stator. A turbine exhaust case is located downstream of the aftmost rotor and includes an inner radial wall and an outer radial wall defining a main gas path duct downstream of the aftmost rotor. The turbine exhaust case being axially spaced apart from the aftmost rotor a second axial distance that is greater than the first axial distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Guy Lefebvre, Eric Durocher