Patents Examined by Dwayne J. White
  • Patent number: 10400786
    Abstract: A rotor for a turbomachine is provided which includes a hub; and a plurality of blades extending radially from the hub, the plurality of blades comprising a first subset of blades having first tips and an abrasive coating on the first tips, and a second subset of blades having second tips with no abrasive coating on the second tips, wherein a radius (R2) of the first subset of blades, including thickness of the abrasive coating, is greater than a radius (R1) of the second subset of blades, and wherein a base radius (R) of the first subset of blades, not including thickness of the abrasive coating, is less than the radius (R1) of the second subset of blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Agnieszka M. Wusatowska-Sarnek, Sergei F. Burlatsky, David Ulrich Furrer, J. Michael McQuade
  • Patent number: 10385717
    Abstract: A seal may comprise a first ply including an annular shape and a second ply including a discontinuous annular shape having an axial split. The second ply may be positioned adjacent to a surface of the first ply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Nathan K. Galle
  • Patent number: 10378362
    Abstract: A component according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a wall, a first channel extending at least partially through the wall to a first outlet, and a second channel adjacent to the first channel and extending to a second outlet. The first channel is configured to communicate a cooling fluid along a first swirl flow path and the second channel is configured to communicate the cooling fluid along a second swirl flow path that is opposite the first swirl flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Scott H. Lamson, Andrew D. Milliken
  • Patent number: 10378503
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade device includes a rotating unit including a blade module concentrically connected to a rotating shaft thereof and having a plurality of radially curved channels each having inlet and outlet ends. The inlet and outlet ends of the radially curved channels are configured to respectively permit flow of the flow body into and out thereof. An outer tube includes a tube body surrounding the rotating unit, and a plurality of rib plates provided in the tube body. The outlet end of each radially curved channel corresponds to one of the rib plates, and each radially curved channel forms an included angle with a corresponding rib plate such that the flow body flowing out of the outlet end can impact upon the corresponding rib plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Inventor: Kuo-Chang Huang
  • Patent number: 10371180
    Abstract: The invention concerns a hydraulic adjusting device (1, 35) having at least two leakage paths (24, 25) which are connected by a transition channel (27), a sealing arrangement (18) which leads back to a working chamber (10) being provided in one of the leakage paths (24, 25) in delimiting manner relative to the working chamber (10) of the adjusting device (35).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: HÄGELE GMBH
    Inventors: Karl Hägele, Markus Lechler
  • Patent number: 10371172
    Abstract: Turbochargers operate at extremely high speed, so balance of the rotating core is of the utmost importance to turbocharger life. A special balancing washer is added to the clamping region between the compressor nut and the nose of the compressor wheel to aid in keeping the wheel, nut, and stub-shaft on the turbocharger axis and to thereby prevent introduction of core unbalance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventor: Denny King
  • Patent number: 10371155
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fan assembly having a rotatingly driven hub (7) and fan blades (10) which can be pivoted relative to the hub body (29). The fan blades (10) are adjusted by means of a linear drive in the form of a spindle drive (13) or a piston drive (52).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: HÄGELE GMBH
    Inventors: Karl Hägele, Markus Lechler, Walter Lechler
  • Patent number: 10364773
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprising a fan, a bypass duct positioned downstream of the fan and defined by an inner casing and an outer casing, a series of outlet guide vanes arranged downstream of the fan, the outlet guide vanes extending between the inner casing and the outer casing of the bypass duct; and a bifurcation positioned downstream of the outlet guide vanes and extending between the inner casing and the outer casing. The bifurcation comprises a leading edge, and the leading edge of the bifurcation is shaped so as to protrude axially forward by a varying distance from the inner casing to the outer casing so as to improve uniformity of a static pressure field formed, in use, immediately upstream of the bifurcation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Stephane M M Baralon
  • Patent number: 10352332
    Abstract: A reconfigurable pump includes a housing with inlet and outlet openings. An inlet adapter is mounted on the housing and includes an inlet passage communicating with the inlet opening. The inlet adapter is removably mounted on the housing and can be removed and repositioned for reconfiguring the pump between low-inlet and high-inlet configurations. In a low-inlet configuration the inlet passage is generally aligned with an impeller rotatably mounted in the housing. A check valve comprising a flapper valve is provided in the low-inlet configuration and prevents backflow. The flapper valve is removable for configuration in a high-inlet configuration with the inlet passage located generally above the impeller level. The inlet adapter can readily be repositioned from outside the pump housing between its low-inlet and high-inlet configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: CDS-John Blue Company
    Inventor: Jason T. Stewart
  • Patent number: 10330086
    Abstract: One of the barriers to greater adoption of small turbines is their aerodynamic interference with each other, and hence the need to separate them. Certain types of vertical axis turbines, the drag types, can actually enhance each other's performance when placed close to each other under the right conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Inventor: Daniel Farb
  • Patent number: 10316857
    Abstract: A fan of a turbine engine, the fan including a fan disk provided with blades on its periphery, the blades being pivotally mounted on the disk around a pivoting axis and having a center of gravity, and a pitch change mechanism for the blades, each blade being configured so that its center of gravity is positioned on or at a small distance from a fictitious plane which passes through the pivoting axis of the blade and which is perpendicular to the axis of revolution of the fan when the blade is in a minimum drag position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Nils Edouard Romain Bordoni, Michel Gilbert Roland Brault, Romain Guillaume Cuvillier, Guillaume Patrice Kubiak, Arnaud Nicolas Negri, Nathalie Nowakowski
  • Patent number: 10309227
    Abstract: A trailing edge cooling system for a turbine blade is disclosed. The system may include a cooling circuit including an outward leg, and a return leg positioned adjacent the outward leg. The outward and return leg each may extend toward and away, respectively, from a trailing edge of the turbine blade. The cooling circuit may also include a plurality of turn legs. The plurality of turn legs may include a turn leg positioned directly adjacent the trailing edge of the turbine blade, and a distinct turn leg positioned axially adjacent the turn leg, and opposite the trailing edge of the turbine blade. The distinct turn leg may be oriented non-parallel to at least one of the outward leg and the return leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Wayne Weber, Sandip Dutta
  • Patent number: 10302065
    Abstract: A strip of fiber-reinforced polymeric material for a longitudinal reinforcing structure of a wind turbine blade, the strip having substantially flat upper and lower surfaces and extending longitudinally between first and second transverse edges, wherein an end region of the strip tapers in thickness towards the first transverse edge, and wherein one or more slots are defined in the tapered end region, the or each slot extending longitudinally from the first transverse edge of the strip into the tapered end region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Jonathan Smith, Adrian Gill, Mark Hancock
  • Patent number: 10301942
    Abstract: An aerofoil component (32) defining an in use leading edge (38) and a trailing edge (40). At least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge (38, 40) comprises a plurality of first and second recesses (52, 56) projecting in a direction corresponding with an in use flow direction, the first and second recesses being spaced apart normal to the in use flow direction and having a different chordal extent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Philip Joseph, Narayanan Subramanian, Chaitanya Paruchuri, Jae-Wook Kim
  • Patent number: 10294804
    Abstract: Dual alloy Gas Turbine Engine (GTE) rotors and method for producing GTE rotors are provided. In one embodiment, the method include includes arranging bladed pieces in an annular grouping or ring formation such that shank-to-shank junctions are formed between circumferentially-adjacent bladed pieces. A first or bonding alloy is deposited along the shank-to-shank junctions utilizing a localized fusion deposition process to produce a plurality of alloy-filled joints, which join the bladed pieces in a bonded blade ring. The bonding alloy is preferably selected to have a ductility higher than and a melt point lower than the alloy from which the bladed pieces are produced. After deposition of the first alloy and formation of the alloy-filled joints, a hub disk is inserted into the central opening of the bonded blade ring. The hub disk and blade ring are then bonded utilizing, for example, a Hot Isostatic Pressing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Jason Smoke, Eric Blumer, David K. Jan, Robbie Joseph Adams, Harry Lester Kington
  • Patent number: 10294925
    Abstract: Wind turbine rotor blade having an electric heating device for heating a heatable surface region which extends over a longitudinal section of the wind turbine rotor blade, wherein the electric heating device has a blade-tip-side end, a blade-root-side end and two profile-trailing-edge-side edges, and two outer electric conductors which are connected to the electric heating device along the profile-trailing-edge-side edges and via which the electric heating device can be supplied with a heating current, wherein at least one central electric conductor which is connected to the electric heating device at a distance from the two profile-trailing-edge-side edges in such a way that the electric heating device is divided by the at least one central electric conductor into at least two partial regions which each extend over the longitudinal section and can be supplied with an electric heating current separately from one another via two of the conductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Nordex Energy GmbH
    Inventor: Hendrik Klein
  • Patent number: 10273971
    Abstract: A fan impeller structure of cooling fan includes a blade assembly and a hub. The blade assembly has multiple blades and an annular cover body. The annular cover body is integrally formed on the rear ends of the blades by injection molding to enclose and connect with the rear ends of the blades. Alternatively, the annular cover body is fused and integrally connected with the rear ends of the blades by means of laser welding. The blade assembly and the hub are integrally connected with each other to form the fan impeller structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Liang-Hua Xu, Te-Chung Wang
  • Patent number: 10273809
    Abstract: In one example embodiment, a blade includes an attachment region, an airfoil extending from the attachment region, and a blade cooling arrangement. The blade cooling arrangement includes at least a first feed passage disposed through the attachment region, which is connected to a first cooling passage disposed in the airfoil. A passively actuated first coolant valve is disposed in or proximate the first feed passage. A plurality of such blades can be disposed in a turbine section of an engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Lane Thornton, Thomas N. Slavens
  • Patent number: 10273970
    Abstract: Articles of manufacture, preferably pump component parts, and a method for making the articles, include providing a plurality of layers of reinforcing fibers in a stack of consecutive layers in a matrix of synthetic polymeric material. The reinforcing fibers of different layers are of corresponding different materials, and the layers are arranged such that the material of the reinforcing fibers in each layer is different from the material of the reinforcing fibers in the next consecutive layer. The layers are stitched together with further reinforcing fibers extending within the stack essentially perpendicular to the layers and interspersed throughout the stack. The stack is compressed and cured to establish a block having a plurality of layers of reinforcing fibers and further reinforcing fibers in a matrix of synthetic polymeric material. The block is machined to establish a prescribed configuration of a desired article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Inventor: John A. Kozel
  • Patent number: 10273933
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade root having: an annular structure extending about a main axis and made of a composite material including a matrix and reinforcing fibers; first longitudinal reinforcing elements, which are incorporated in the annular structure, extend in the direction of the main axis, and are spaced apart in a circle about the main axis; and an annular reinforcing element connecting the first longitudinal reinforcing elements and having first coupling portions for connection to the first longitudinal reinforcing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: WINDFIN B.V.
    Inventor: Amedeo Sabbadin