Patents Examined by Christopher Verdier
  • Patent number: 11958589
    Abstract: A rotor blade control system includes a main control valve having an inlet for receiving liquid and an outlet for issuing liquid to a rotor pitch change actuator. The main control valve is configured to control flow of liquid from the inlet to the outlet to modify pitch angle of rotor blades. A feathering system has a first conduit in fluid communication with the outlet of the main control valve, a second conduit in fluid communication with the rotor pitch change actuator, and a drain conduit in fluid communication with a liquid return system. The feathering system has a normal operation mode for supplying liquid from the main control valve to the rotor pitch change actuator, and a feathering mode for allowing drainage from the rotor pitch change actuator to the drain conduit across a range of flow rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Jagoda Krzywon
  • Patent number: 11954408
    Abstract: A method of designing a modified aerofoil shape, the method comprising the steps of: determining a plurality of resonant frequencies of a baseline aerofoil shape; determining that one of the resonant frequencies falls within a predetermined range of frequencies; providing a plurality of aerofoil sections defining the baseline aerofoil shape; and defining a modified aerofoil shape by displacing at least one of the plurality of aerofoil sections relative to its baseline position in the baseline aerofoil shape until one of the plurality of resonant frequencies previously falling within the range of frequencies is shifted outside the range of frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Martin Rose, Stuart Marshall
  • Patent number: 11946437
    Abstract: A turbomachinery engine can include a fan assembly with a plurality of variable pitch fan blades. The fan blades are configured such that they define a first VPF parameter and a second VPF parameter. The first VPF parameter is within a range of 0.10 to 0.40 and is defined as the hub-to-tip radius ratio divided by the fan pressure ratio. The second VPF parameter is within a range of 1-30 lbf/in2 and is defined as the bearing spanwise force divided by the fan area. In certain examples, the turbomachinery engine further includes a pitch change mechanism, a vane assembly, a core engine, and a gearbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Daniel A. Niergarth, Martin Manning, Nicholas M. Daggett, Christopher J. Kroger, Ian F. Prentice
  • Patent number: 11946390
    Abstract: Provided is a rotor blade configured to be implanted in a disc of a rotating body, the rotor blade including a blade root, wherein in a cross-sectional shape of the blade root, the blade root includes at least one stage of protruding parts protruding toward opposite sides with respect to a direction containing a circumferential component, the protruding parts being configured to lock the blade root to the disc, each of the protruding parts has a contact surface configured to come into contact with the disc and inclined so as to extend toward a center part of the blade root from radially inside to radially outside, and each of the protruding parts has a non-contact surface configured not to come into contact with the disc and inclined so as to extend toward the center part of the blade root from the radially inside to the radially outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirotaka Kurashima, Hirokazu Matsuda, Ryoji Tamai, Ryozo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11939954
    Abstract: A bracket assembly for securing a tower section to a deck includes a lower support bracket, columns, and a pair of upper upper support brackets, which all have vertical plates with circular apertures. Each circular aperture spans at least two tower flange bolt holes. Attachment yokes are inserted into the circular apertures, and each have at least two bolt apertures, which match the bolt holes size and spacing. The yokes are rotated to align the holes for insertion of bolts. Specific yokes are provided to fit various tower sizes. The brackets can be stacked, and the yoke arrangement substantially reduces bolt torque requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: BNSF Logistics, LLC
    Inventors: William Stuart, Peter W. Stuart
  • Patent number: 11933222
    Abstract: An aeroderivative gas turbine provided with a casing, a compressor including a rotor mounted on a generator shaft supported for rotation in the casing, a high pressure turbine arranged in the casing and with a rotor mounted on the generator shaft for co-rotation with the compressor rotor, a combustor, a power turbine arranged in the casing and including a rotor mounted on a turbine shaft to drive a load, wherein a thermal insulation coating is present to reduce heat dispersion through the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Dresser, LLC
    Inventor: Francesco Caratelli
  • Patent number: 11933312
    Abstract: A turbocharger includes a housing and a rotating group supported for rotation within the housing. The rotating group includes a compressor wheel disposed within a compressor section of the turbocharger, and the rotating group includes a turbine wheel disposed within a turbine section of the turbocharger. The turbine wheel includes a bleed pressure surface. The turbocharger further includes a bleed passage that extends at least partly through the housing to fluidly connect the compressor section to the turbine section. The bleed passage is configured to direct a bleed flow of fluid from the compressor section to the bleed pressure surface to supply a thrust counterbalance load to the bleed pressure surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: GARRETT TRANSPORTATION I INC
    Inventors: Milan Nejedly, Carlos Chavez Castellanos, Kristian Dullack
  • Patent number: 11931981
    Abstract: A blade is provided. The blade comprises a plurality of a first composite fiber plies and a plurality of a second composite fiber plies. Ends of the second fiber plies are staggered such that interlock between the first composite fiber plies and the second composite fiber plies is formed in a region where the second composite fiber plies end and meet with the first composite fiber plies. The blades are used for an engine of an aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gary Willard Bryant, Jr., Phani Nandula
  • Patent number: 11927133
    Abstract: An acoustic attenuation liner includes a porous coating with a mesh structure, an acoustically absorbent material covered with the porous coating and having a first volume, and at least one cavity created between the acoustically absorbent material and the porous coating and which has a second volume, such as Vcav>3%, wherein the mesh structure has wires separating between them openings passing through the structure, some of which have, when flat, a minimum elementary surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Josselin David Florian Regnard, Norman Bruno André Jodet
  • Patent number: 11927176
    Abstract: Provided is a bearing arrangement for a wind turbine including a bearing housing and a drive shaft, whereby the drive shaft is arranged within the bearing housing in an axial direction along a longitudinal axis of the bearing housing, the bearing arrangement further comprising a downwind bearing and an upwind bearing as radial fluid bearings, whereby the downwind bearing and the upwind bearing are arranged between the bearing housing and the drive shaft, whereby the bearing housing is formed from at least two separate bearing housing pieces, whereby the at least two separate bearing housing pieces are joined with each other and/or the drive shaft is formed from at least two separate drive shaft pieces, whereby the at least two separate drive shaft pieces are joined with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Edom Demissie, Claus Michaelsen, Morten Soerensen
  • Patent number: 11920495
    Abstract: An airfoil includes an airfoil wall that has a wishbone-shaped fiber layup structure. The structure includes two arms that merge into a single leg. The single leg includes fiber tows from each of the arms that are interwoven. The single leg forms at least a portion of the trailing edge of the airfoil wall. Each of the arms includes a first section that is distal from the single leg and a second section that is proximal to the single leg. The first section defines a first thickness, the second section defines a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness, and the single leg defines a third thickness that is greater than the second thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Christian X. Campbell
  • Patent number: 11913433
    Abstract: Provided is an arrangement for discharging current due to a lightning stroke at a tip add-on of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the arrangement including a conductor adapted to conduct the current due to the lightning stroke; an insulation arranged around the conductor, the insulation with the conductor being arrangeable within the tip add-on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Florian Girschig, Sri Markandeya Rajesh Ponnada
  • 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
  • Patent number: 11905852
    Abstract: An intermediate element is for a blade/rotor disk connection in a rotor of a fluid flow machine. The intermediate element is adapted to a shape of a blade root of a blade and to a blade root slot in a rotor disk for receiving the blade root such that, when arranged between the blade root and rotor disk, the intermediate element prevents contact between the blade root and rotor disk. The intermediate element has, on an outer surface that faces the rotor disk, at least one protrusion to reduce an air flow parallel to an axis of rotation of the rotor between the rotor disk and the intermediate element; and on an inner surface that faces the blade root, a recess that corresponds to the at least one protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: MTU AERO ENGINES AG
    Inventors: Martin Pernleitner, Klaus Wittig, Manfred Dopfer, Dieter Freno, Tino Hummel
  • Patent number: 11905930
    Abstract: For each of actuators, the partial load ratio is output. An output device for a drive device of a wind turbine includes an obtaining unit for obtaining information relating to a load applied to each of a plurality of actuators, where the actuators are included in the drive device of the wind turbine and configured to cooperate with each other, a processing unit for, based on the information obtained by the obtaining unit, calculating a partial load ratio, where the partial load ratio represents a ratio of a load on each of the actuators to a total load and the total load is a sum of the loads on the respective actuators, and an output unit for outputting the partial load ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Nabtesco Corporation
    Inventor: Yuichi Asakawa
  • Patent number: 11898459
    Abstract: Disclosed is a turbine blade for a gas turbine engine having a plurality of cooling holes defined therein, the plurality of cooling holes being located in an airfoil of the turbine blade according to coordinates of Table 1, wherein the coordinates of Table 1 are distances from a point of origin O on the turbine blade, the point of origin being located at a center point of an inner diameter edge of a forward root face of a root of the turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: RTX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Emma J. Place, Dominic J. Mongillo, Jr., Jeremy B Fredette
  • Patent number: 11898461
    Abstract: A steam turbine provided with: a rotor; a plurality of movable blades each of which has a movable blade body and a shroud, and which are circumferentially arranged at intervals; a casing that has a recessed section for accommodating the shroud; fins that form clearances from the outer circumferential surface of the shroud; a stator blade support part disposed on the downstream side of the recessed section; a plurality of stator blades circumferentially arranged at intervals; and an annular partition plate that extends from a recessed section downstream surface toward the upstream side thereof. The casing has formed therein a bypass flow passage that communicates a region radially outside of the partition plate and a region between the stator blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISH HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Chongfei Duan, Hideaki Sugishita, Kazuyuki Matsumoto, Hideki Ono, Yoshihiro Kuwamura, Kiyoshi Segawa, Hisataka Fukushima
  • Patent number: 11891905
    Abstract: A bearing support assembly to support one or more bearings on a shaft. The bearing support assembly includes a bearing support frame configured to be coupled to a static frame, a plurality of ribs connected to the bearing support frame, and a bearing support connected to the plurality of ribs and configured to support a bearing of the one or more bearings. The bearing support assembly has a non-axisymmetric stiffness around a circumference of the bearing support assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Prashant Bhujabal, Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Narayanan Payyoor, Mohankumar Banakar, Weize Kang
  • Patent number: 11884378
    Abstract: A multi-layer braided article and a method of making the multi-layer braided article. The multi-layer braided article includes a braid extending along a first axis, wherein the braid is folded over itself to form a first layer and a second layer; and a wrapper laid over the first layer of the braid and extending circumferentially around the first axis, wherein the wrapper defines an edge of the first layer about which the braid is folded. The multi-layer braided article may form part of a blade for an aircraft. A sleeve may be provided around a conical portion of the article to connect the article to something else, such as a propeller hub, where the multi-layer braided article is formed as part of a blade. The sleeve may provide a primary or secondary load path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: RATIER-FIGEAC SAS
    Inventors: Bruno Seminel, Pascal Amat, Arnaud Andrzejewski
  • Patent number: 11885267
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a fan assembly having a plurality of fan blades; and a turbomachine. The turbomachine includes a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow order. The turbomachine further including a first input power source; a second input power source configured to counter-rotate relative to the first input power source; a power output component operably connected to the fan assembly; and a gear assembly located forward of the combustion section of the turbomachine, the gear assembly configured to receive power from the first input power source and the second input power source and provide power to the power output component, the gear assembly comprising a helical gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: GE Avio S.r.l.
    Inventors: Paolo Altamura, Michele Gravina