Patents Examined by Devin Hanan
  • Patent number: 7251888
    Abstract: A hollow fan blade for the fan of an aircraft engine includes a blade base section (2) and a blade tip section (5) which are assembled at opposing faying surfaces (6, 6?) by a joining process. Starting from the respective faying surface, cavities (7, 9) are produced in the two blade portions (2, 5) which are dimensioned in accordance with the loads occurring in the respective blade areas. The joining weld (4) is in a low-loaded area. The blade base section and the blade tip section can be constructed of solid material with formed-in cavities. The blade tip section can also be a sheet-metal structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventor: Karl Schreiber
  • Patent number: 7252480
    Abstract: A method for generating an internal pack coating having different, controlled thicknesses includes partially filling a root opening of a turbine blade having a cavity therein with a first powder and a second powder having different formulations so that the first powder contacts a first predefined portion of the surface of the cavity and the second powder contacts a second predefined portion of the surface of the cavity. The method further includes heating the object with the first powder and the second powder therein to thereby produce a coating of the internal cavity having different coating thicknesses over the first portion of the surface of the cavity and the second portion of the surface of the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nigel Brian Thomas Langley, Janet Elizabeth Gaewsky, Matthew Taylor Lewis
  • Patent number: 7246995
    Abstract: A seal usable to seal a transition in a can-annular combustion system of a turbine engine to a turbine vane assembly to direct exhaust gases through the turbine vane assembly. The seal may be formed from an elongated body extending along an outer edge of the transition and having first and second edges. The first edge of the seal may be attached to the transition, and the elongated body may extend away from the transition edge and contact a portion of the turbine vane assembly. The elongated body may flex during use without yielding or otherwise deforming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Power Generation, Inc.
    Inventor: James Michael Zborovsky
  • Patent number: 7244099
    Abstract: A multi-vane centrifugal fan has a fan housing and an impeller. The impeller includes a plurality of vanes arranged with a prescribed spacing in the circumferential direction and fixed to a hub rotatably driven around a shaft core. The impeller further includes an annular member for reinforcement that is provided on a side of the vanes opposite the hub. The fan housing has a bell mouth with a recessed part that is provided around a circumference of an air suction port of the fan housing. The recessed part has air suction port side end parts positioned on the side of the vanes opposite the hub and rotatably inserted in the recessed part without having a shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 7244096
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rotating radial scoop used to move fluid from a larger radius to a smaller radius, comprising a blade at least partially circumscribing a central axis from an outer radius of the scoop to an capture radius of the scoop, wherein the inner surface of the blade is curved. A scoop having a blade with a curved inner surface extending from the scoop outer radius to a capture radius is disclosed. A turbine engine comprising the scoop, along with a method of providing a fluid to a bearing utilizing the scoop is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan E. Dins, John Hogan, Arun Kumar
  • Patent number: 7241107
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine, the airfoil includes a plurality of cooling air passages to supply cooling air to an external surface of the airfoil, the cooled surface of the airfoil having a critical temperature in which any cooled surface of the airfoil should not exceed, the cooling air passages having a coating applied within the passages, the coating being made of a material that has an oxidizing property such that the material oxidizes away and opens the passage to more flow when exposed to a temperature above the critical temperature. When the airfoil surface is not properly cooled by a flow passing through the passage, the material oxidizes away until the size of the passage increases to allow for the proper amount of cooling air to flow to cool the airfoil. Each passage is located in a different part of the airfoil that requires more or less cooling flow, and each passage will oxidize until the size of the passage is large enough to allow for the proper amount of cooling flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Inventors: William A. Spanks, Jr., Jack Wilson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7238001
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a seal arrangement in which a substantially labyrinth type seal is utilised between a rotating component and a stationary component such as a housing. An edged fin of the seal arrangement incorporates a slot nozzle or a slot nozzle is associated with a fin in order that fluid flow through those slot nozzles either impinges upon opposed surfaces or at least narrows the available leakage gap width for greater sealing efficiency. Typically, several seal arrangements in accordance with the present invention and possibly in association with simple barrier fins are combined in an assembly to provide an appropriate acceptable combined operational sealing efficiency in a turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: Guy J Rushton
  • Patent number: 7232290
    Abstract: A turbine engine component, such as a blade or a vane, is provided by the present invention. The turbine engine component has a pressure side and a suction side. Each of the pressure and suction sides has an external wall and an internal wall. A first set of fluid passageways is located on the pressure side between the external wall and the internal wall. A second set of fluid passageways is located on the suction side between the external wall and the internal wall. Each of the fluid passageways in the first set and in the second set has a wavy configuration. The turbine engine component may also have one or more wavy trailing edge cooling passageways for cooling a trailing edge portion of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Samuel D. Draper, William S. Kvasnak
  • Patent number: 7232289
    Abstract: A shroud is provided for separating an air turbine starter housing from a turbine wheel. The shroud comprises a ring and a bumper. The ring is configured to be disposed between the turbine wheel and the housing and has an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface that defines a flow channel. The bumper is coupled to and extends radially inwardly from the ring inner peripheral surface and defines a bumper section of the ring flow channel. At least a portion of the bumper section has a cross-sectional flow area that is less than another cross sectional flow area of the ring flow channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.
    Inventors: Paulynn Dong, Kellan P. Geck, David M. Mathis, James A. Hall, David P. Gentile, Jennifer L. Zonneveld
  • Patent number: 7229253
    Abstract: A metallic component is by at least one peripheral edge. The component includes at least one elongated treated zone having a length substantially greater than its width. This treated zone is spaced away from and disposed generally parallel to the peripheral edge of the component and the entire thickness of the component within the treated zone is in a state of residual compressive stress. Crack growth from the edge due to fatigue or damage is resisted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas F. Broderick, Andrew P. Woodfield, Dale Robert Lombardo, Paul Robert Moncelle, William Terrence Dingwell
  • Patent number: 7229254
    Abstract: The invention relates to a turbine comprising at least four stages and to the use of a rotor blade with a reduced mass. In prior art, rotor blades in the fourth stage of a gas turbine, which exceed 50 cm in length, cause problems relating to mechanical strength, as centrifugal forces of too great a magnitude occur during the rotation of the rotor blades. An inventive rotor blade in the fourth row of a gas turbine has a reduced density as a result of a high proportion of a ceramic, thus reducing the centrifugal force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ulrich Bast, Wolfgang Hermann
  • Patent number: 7223066
    Abstract: A variable vane arrangement (36) for a compressor (26) of a gas turbine engine (10) comprises a plurality of circumferentially arranged vanes (38), a plurality of operating levers (64) and a control ring (66). Each vane (38) is pivotally mounted to a casing (30) of the compressor (26). Each operating lever (64) is pivotally mounted at a first end (68) to the control ring (66) and is mounted at second end (70) to a respective one of the vanes (38). The second end (70) of each operating lever (64) comprises a multi-sided aperture (72) and each vane (38) has a multi-sided spindle (60) which locates in the multi-sided aperture (72) of the respective operating lever (64). Each operating lever (64) has a drive member (74) located in the multi-sided aperture (72) and around the multi-sided spindle (60) of the respective vane (38). Each drive member (74) engages the respective multi-sided aperture (72) and the respective multi-sided spindle (60) to transmit drive from the operating lever (64) to the vane (38).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: Christopher I Rockley
  • Patent number: 7223067
    Abstract: The flow machine is furnished with an abradable (10) made of a particle composite material. This so-called composite (1) contains granular core particles (2) of a ceramic material. The surfaces (20) of the granular core particles carry functional layers (22) which form an intermediate phase of the composite which is stable at a high operating temperature. The intermediate phase in this process has been produced in situ at least in part by a chemical reaction of a precursor material (22?) and material (21) of the granular core particles on the particle surfaces (20). Bonds (23) are formed between the granular core particles arranged in a porous composite by the intermediate phase. These bonds have a breaking characteristic for abradables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Sulzer Metco (US) Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Wilson, Andreas Franz-Josef Kaiser
  • Patent number: 7223064
    Abstract: A molecular drag compressor includes a rotor disk coupled to a drive shaft for rotation about an axis, a stator disposed about the rotor disk, the stator defining a tangential flow channel, an inlet to the tangential flow channel and an outlet from the tangential flow channel, and a stationary baffle disposed in the tangential flow channel adjacent to the outlet. The baffle and the rotor disk have a gap between them. A surface of the baffle facing the rotor disk has cavities configured to produce turbulent gas flow through the gap between the baffle and the rotor disk and to thereby reduce leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Varian, Inc.
    Inventor: Marsbed Hablanian
  • Patent number: 7223078
    Abstract: A rotary plate fastener (24) is provided for firmly fastening ceiling fan blades (26) to mounting brackets (20). A plurality of protuberant members (32) extend upwardly from the mounting brackets (20), and have respective head portions (72) and shank portions (74) which fit through apertures (62) in the ceiling fan blades (26). The rotary plate fastener (24) has an upper surface (36), a lower surface (38), and peripheral edge portions (42) extending between the upper and lower surfaces (36, 38). Openings (46) formed in the peripheral edge portions (42) are aligned for registering adjacent to the shank portions (74) of the protuberant members (32), and then the rotary plate fastener (24) is rotated to twist the openings (46) around the shank portions (74) and press the rotary plate fastener (24) between the head portions (72) of the protuberant members (32) and the upper surface of ceiling fan blade (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Litex Industries, Limited, Having a general partner of Libco International, LLC
    Inventors: John F. Mares, Richard H. Crawford, Jr., Jason T. Herlehy, Bradley A. Jackson
  • Patent number: 7220099
    Abstract: A sealing arrangement for a rotor of a turbomachine includes a blade (2), a heat shield (3, 4) and a sealing element (5, 6) for sealing between the blade (2) and the heat shield (3, 4) when the blade (2), heat shield (3, 4) and sealing element (5, 6) are assembled for use in the rotor. The heat shield (3, 4) includes a first slot (7, 8) for accommodating a first member (11, 12) of the sealing element (5, 6), and a root portion of the blade (2) includes a second and third slot (9, 10) for accommodating a second member (13, 14) of the sealing element (5, 6). The first slot (7, 8) extends in a direction which is substantially mutually perpendicular to a direction in which the second and third slot (9) extends, and the first member (11, 12) extends in a direction which is substantially mutually perpendicular to a direction in which the second member (13, 14) extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd.
    Inventors: Igor A. Bekrenev, Arkadi Fokine, Frank Hummel, Igor Ossipov, Sergey Trifonov
  • Patent number: 7217096
    Abstract: A turbine stage includes a row of airfoils and their platforms spaced laterally apart to define flow passages therebetween. Each airfoil is integrally joined to its platform at a corresponding arcuate fillet which is larger along the pressure side of the airfoil and smaller along the suction side as it varies in size around the leading edge. A film cooling root hole is disposed in the root fillet in flow communication with an internal cooling circuit in the airfoil for discharging cooling air along the fillet for energizing boundary layer flow of combustion gases flowing through the flow passages during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ching-Pang Lee
  • Patent number: 7217083
    Abstract: A casing of a regenerative pump forms a generally annular fluid passage, which conducts a fluid. An impeller is rotatably received in the casing and has a plurality of blades, which are arranged one after another in a circumferential direction to provide kinetic energy to the fluid in the fluid passage upon rotation of the impeller. The regenerative pump satisfies a relationship of 0.60?b/a?0.76, where “a” is an axial width of each blade, and “b” is a total axial distance, which is a sum of a first axial distance between a first axial side outer edge of the blade and an opposed first axial side inner wall of the fluid passage and a second axial distance between a second axial side outer edge of the blade and an opposed second axial side inner wall of the fluid passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignees: Nippon Soken, Inc., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Yasuda, Shinichi Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 7210905
    Abstract: A compressor (16) comprises a rotor (40) having a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially outwardly extending rotor blades (42). A casing (44) surrounds the rotor (40) and rotor blades (42). The casing (44) has an inner surface (48) and a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots (50) are provided in the inner surface (48) of the casing (44). Each slot (50) has a length (L), a depth (D), a width (W), an angle (?) of inclination relative to the radial direction, an axial position (AP) relative to the rotor blades (42) and a circumferential position (CP) relative to an adjacent slot (50). The slots (50) are arranged such that at least one of the length (L), depth (D), width (W), angle (?) of inclination relative to the radial direction, axial position (AP) relative to the rotor blades (42) and circumferential position (CP) relative to an adjacent slot (50) varies circumferentially around the casing (44).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: Bryan L Lapworth
  • Patent number: 7207779
    Abstract: An impeller for a radial-flow heat dissipating fan includes a hub and a plurality of blades surrounding the hub. The blades are connected to a circumference of the hub to allow joint rotation of the hub and the blades. The impeller includes an air inlet side and a bottom side. Distribution of the blades at the air inlet side of the impeller is sparser than that at the bottom side of the impeller, thereby increasing an air inlet amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Alex Horng, Yu-Yuan Lu, Mei-Chih Fang