Patents Examined by Aaron Jagoda
-
Patent number: 8708660Abstract: The present disclosure provides an improved second 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: GrantFiled: May 18, 2011Date of Patent: April 29, 2014Assignee: Alstom Technology LtdInventors: Marco Micheli, Wolfgang Kappis
-
Patent number: 8684696Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a unique gas turbine engine. Another embodiment is a unique gas turbine engine main engine rotor. Still another embodiment is a unique method for assembling a gas turbine engine main engine rotor. Other embodiments include apparatuses, systems, devices, hardware, methods, and combinations for gas turbine engines and gas turbine rotors. Further embodiments, forms, features, aspects, benefits, and advantages of the present application shall become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2010Date of Patent: April 1, 2014Assignee: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert A. Ress, Jr.
-
Patent number: 8672625Abstract: A vibration-resistant wind turbine and process for operation is provided. The wind turbine has a rotor with at least two blades, each of which includes an inclinometer arrangement with at least two axes, and an evaluating unit. The evaluating unit determines the bending and/or twisting of the blade relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade on the basis of signals from the inclinometer arrangement for each blade during operation. Each rotor blade further has at least one liquid tank which is capable of receiving or transferring liquid from or to a liquid reservoir via a transfer mechanism in response to the determined bending and/or twisting of the rotor blades to reduce vibration caused by imbalances, thereby extending the service life of the wind turbine.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2010Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Prüftechnik Dieter Busch AGInventors: Edwin Becker, Marcel Kenzler, Johann Loesl
-
Patent number: 8672620Abstract: A vane profile section for an Air Turbine Starter includes an airfoil which defines an airfoil profile section through a leading edge and a trailing edge, the airfoil profile section defined by a set of X-coordinates and Y-coordinates.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2010Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand CorporationInventors: David J. Zawilinski, Jeffrey M. Makulec, Matthew Slayter
-
Patent number: 8651809Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 13, 2010Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Henry Grady Ballard, Jr., Ian David Wilson, Martel Alexander McCallum, Stephen Christopher Chieco, Kenneth Damon Black, Christopher Paul Cox
-
Patent number: 8651806Abstract: An inlet housing assembly for an Air Turbine Starter includes an outer flowpath curve of an inlet flowpath defined by a multiple of arcuate surfaces in cross-section.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2010Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand CorporationInventors: David J. Zawilinski, Jeffrey M. Makulec, Matthew Slayter
-
Patent number: 8647072Abstract: A composite material comprises plies 2, 4, 6, 8, which may be prepregs. Film elements 10 are provided between at least two adjacent ones of the plies 2, 4, 6, 8. The film elements are made from a release material which inhibits adhesion between regions of the resin on opposite sides of the respective film elements, and are randomly distributed. The film elements 10 provide delamination sites within the component. The component may be a test piece for assessing the delamination behavior of the material. Alternatively, the delamination behavior caused by the film elements 10 may have a useful purpose, for example to control regions of a component in which delamination occurs following events such as a bird strike on a fan blade of a gas turbine engine.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2011Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLCInventor: Alison J. McMillan
-
Patent number: 8636470Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil defined by a convex suction side wall, a concave pressure side wall, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a root, and a tip, the walls and the tip each including an interior surface that defines an interior with the root, the interior including an airfoil cooling circuit for directing airflow through the blade, and a platform supporting the airfoil and having a leading side edge, a trailing side edge, suction side edge, a pressure side edge, an airfoil-facing wall, and a root-facing wall, the platform including a platform cooling circuit having an inlet on the leading side edge and an outlet. The turbine blade may be included in a turbine rotor assembly.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2010Date of Patent: January 28, 2014Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Steve Halfmann, Mark C. Morris
-
Patent number: 8622707Abstract: A root attachment for a wind turbine rotor blade having a blade root is disclosed. The root attachment may include a wall panel configured to be coupled to the rotor blade at or adjacent to the blade root. The wall panel may define at least a portion of an airfoil shape and may include an inner side and an outer side. In addition, the wall panel may define a non-uniform cross-section between the inner and outer sides.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2011Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Aaron John Mashue
-
Patent number: 8596958Abstract: A crossflow fan includes an impeller formed by plate-like blades 42. Each blade 42 is inclined such that the outer edge 42a is located on the leading side of the inner edge 42d with respect to the rotation direction of the impeller 41. The face of each blade 42 that is located on the leading side of the rotation direction forms a positive pressure surface 42p, and a face located on the trailing side forms a negative pressure surface 42q. Notches 42b are formed at the outer edge 42a of the blade 42. The notches 42b are arranged at predetermined intervals along the rotation axis of the impeller. A basic shape section 42c is formed between each adjacent pair of the notches 42b. The blade thickness L2 in the vicinity of the bottom 42y of each notch 42b is smaller than the blade thickness of the basic shape section 42c adjacent to the notch 42b.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2009Date of Patent: December 3, 2013Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Hironobu Teraoka, Shimei Tei
-
Patent number: 8573923Abstract: A cooled aerofoil for a gas turbine engine has an aerofoil section with pressure and suction surfaces extending between inboard and outboard ends thereof. The aerofoil section includes first and second internal passages for carrying cooling air. The aerofoil section further includes a plurality of holes in the external surface of the aerofoil section which receive cooling air from the internal passages. The external holes are arranged such that cooling air exiting a first portion of the external holes participates in a cooling film extending from the leading edge of the aerofoil section over said pressure surface and cooling air exiting from a second portion of the external holes participates in a cooling film extending from the leading edge over said suction surface. The first portion of external holes receives cooling air from the first internal passage, and the second portion of external holes receives cooling air from the second internal passage.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2010Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLCInventor: Ian Tibbott
-
Patent number: 8573936Abstract: A blade for an aircraft turbomachine receiving part including a root, and an airfoil part prolonging this root. The airfoil part includes a mechanical fuse located at a distance from the bottom of the blade, along the length direction of the airfoil part, between 0.25 and 0.5 times the length of the airfoil part along this length direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2010Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Airbus Operations S.A.S.Inventor: Lauren Lafont
-
Patent number: 8568084Abstract: A system controls net thrust of a steam turbine having a stepped rotating shaft. A first leak off line fluidly couples a first stage of a turbine section to a packing near a stepped portion on the rotating shaft. A second leak off line fluidly couples a second stage of the turbine section that has a pressure different from the first stage to a step area immediately adjacent to the stepped portion, and a connection line fluidly couples the first leak off line to the second leak off line. The lines include control valves such that a controller can actively control the net thrust by regulating thrust pressure on the stepped portion using steam from the first and second stages of the turbine section. The controller may also prevent damage to an active retractable seal using the control valves.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2010Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Xiaoqing Zheng, Bernard Arthur Couture, Jr., Casey William Jones, Binayak Roy
-
Patent number: 8550786Abstract: A vertical axis wind turbine and vertical axis wind turbine assembly comprising a rotary body and a plurality of blades. A cross section through each blade of the plurality of blades transverse to the rotary axis comprises an inner camber line, an outer camber line, and a chord line. The outer camber line comprises a first portion, a transition portion and a second portion. The second portion is longer, in the lengthwise direction, than a combined length of the first portion and the transition portion. The average second portion thickness is less than half an average first portion thickness. A magnitude of an average rate of change in a transition portion thickness is at least twice a magnitude of an average rate of change in a first portion thickness, and a magnitude of an average rate of change in a second portion thickness.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2009Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Inventor: Peter Janiuk
-
Patent number: 8550779Abstract: An assembly for sealing an inlet into a to-be-sealed space, comprising the following features: at least one charging electrode that is connectable to one pole of a high voltage source is disposed in a first area of the inlet, an opposing electrode is disposed in a second area of the inlet that lies opposite of the first area, and the electrodes are disposed in a manner aligned with each other such that an influencing zone, which is formed between the electrodes, acts on influencible particles that penetrate from the outside in the direction towards the to-be-sealed space, such that these particles are accelerated in the direction away from the to-be-sealed space.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2008Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Aktiebolaget SKFInventor: Hans-Joachim Vom Stein
-
Patent number: 8545180Abstract: A turbine rotor blade with a showerhead arrangement of film cooling holes arranged in three zones with a lower span zone and a middle spa zone and an upper span zone. The film cooling holes in the lower zone have a greater ejection angle than the film holes in the middle span zone, and the middle span zone film holes have a greater ejection angle than the film holes in the upper span zone.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2011Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.Inventor: George Liang
-
Patent number: 8540480Abstract: An aerofoil (20) for a gas turbine engine (10) is hollow to define an interior volume (24) through which cooling air flows. Passages (26) interconnect the interior volume (24) with the exterior of the aerofoil (20). Each passage (26) is provided with an inlet (32) within the interior volume (24) which is elongated along an axis (36) parallel with the direction of cooling air flow through the interior volume (24). The arrangement reduces any tendency for the passages (24) to block though the build up of dirt particles.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2009Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLCInventor: Anthony J. Rawlinson
-
Patent number: 8529189Abstract: A system and method are provided for controlling the temperature of engine bleed air from a turbofan gas turbine engine. The system includes a fan air valve and a fan air valve controller. The fan air valve is adapted to receive a flow of fan air from a turbofan gas turbine engine intake fan. The fan air valve is coupled to receive valve position commands and is configured, in response to the valve position commands, to move to a valve position to thereby control the engine bleed air temperature. The fan air valve controller is configured to implement a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control. The fan air valve controller is adapted to receive a plurality of sensor signals, each sensor signal representative of one or more system parameters, and is configured, in response to the sensor signals, to supply the valve position commands to the fan air valve.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2010Date of Patent: September 10, 2013Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Ryan Brown, Jason Olivarez, Kenneth Roberts
-
Patent number: 8517672Abstract: An epicyclic gear train includes planetary gears rotatably mounted on spindles supported by an annular carrier and including axially spaced apart forward and aft sets of output teeth extending radially outwardly from a planetary gear hub and axially spaced apart forward and aft roller bearings disposed between planetary gears and spindles. The forward and aft roller bearings are axially aligned with or adjacent to spaced apart forward set of output teeth and input gear respectively. A ring gear meshes with forward set of output teeth and an external gear meshes with aft set of output teeth. An input gear fixedly attached to hub aft of aft set of output teeth and engaged with a sun gear. The output teeth, input gear, ring gear, external gear, and sun gear may all be helical. A turbofan gas turbine engine may include counter-rotatable first and second fan stages driven by a low pressure turbine through the gear train.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2010Date of Patent: August 27, 2013Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Francis William McCooey
-
Patent number: 8511966Abstract: The pump rotor (1) comprises a first blade (3), wherein the first blade (3) comprises a first helical-gear blade part (3a) and, adjoining the latter, a first centrifugal-wheel blade part (3b), and said pump rotor (1) comprises a hub (2) with a rotational axis (D), wherein the centrifugal-wheel blade part (3b) is fixedly connected to the hub (2), wherein at least one second blade (4) is provided which comprises a second helical-gear blade part (4a) and, adjoining the latter, a second centrifugal-wheel blade part (4b), wherein the first and the second blades (3,4) have in each case one outer edge (3c,4c), wherein a connecting means (5) connects the first and second blades (3,4) to one another in the region of the outer edge (3c,4c), and wherein the second centrifugal-wheel blade part (4b) is arranged so as to run relative to the hub (2) in such a way that an opening (6) which runs continuously in the rotational direction (D1) is formed between said second centrifugal-wheel blade part (4b) and hub (2), since theType: GrantFiled: August 18, 2008Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: Frideco AGInventor: Carl Stähle