Patents Examined by Eric J Zamora Alvarez
  • Patent number: 11519275
    Abstract: A morphing airfoil includes a dynamic flexible skin system that is capable of carrying high level aerodynamic (or fluid) pressure loads over a structural surface. The structural surface can morph and bend in response to control inputs to change a lift force without separate movable control surfaces. A plurality of standoff mounts are attached to an inner surface of anisotropic skin. The standoff mounts include through apertures for receiving a flexible stringer. The anisotropic skin is attached to underlying structure through the flexible stringers. The flexible stringers interface with actuated position control ribs and passive compliant support ribs. A control system causes the underlying support structure to move to a desired location which in turn causes the skin to bend and/or flex without exceeding a stress threshold and thus vary the lift and drag distributions along a span of the airfoil without separate control surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Jared Neely, James Joo, Russel Topp
  • Patent number: 11519390
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade includes a blade main body and a leading edge protector. The leading edge protector includes a conductive material and covers a leading edge of the blade main body. The leading edge protector is also electrically connected to a down conductor disposed in a hollow space enclosed by a skin in the blade main body or a conductive mesh member provided along an outer surface of the skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto Murata, Syusaku Yamamoto, Yoichiro Tsumura, Tatsufumi Aoi, Akio Ikeda, Nobuyuki Kamihara, Takehiro Naka
  • Patent number: 11512607
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a fan mounted to rotate about a main longitudinal axis; an engine core, including a compressor, a combustor, and turbine coupled to the compressor through a shaft; and reduction gearbox; wherein the compressor includes a plurality of stages, each stage including a respective rotor and stator, a first stage of the plurality of stages being arranged at an inlet and including a first rotor with a plurality of blades; each blade extending chordwise from a leading edge to a trailing edge, and from root to tip for a span height, wherein 0% of the span height corresponds to the root and 100% of span height corresponds to tip; wherein a ratio of a leading edge radius of each of the plurality of first rotor blades at 0% span height to a minimum leading edge radius is comprised between 1 and 1.50.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Ian J Bousfield, Duncan A MacDougall
  • Patent number: 11512610
    Abstract: A clamp for securing a component to an isogrid case of a gas turbine engine includes a top having an attachment feature for coupling the clamp to the component. The clamp further includes a bottom. The clamp further includes two sides extending from the top towards the bottom, each of the two sides being thicker at the bottom than at the top, and the two sides defining a shaped slot closer to the bottom than the top for receiving a rib of the isogrid case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel A. Bales, William Bogue, Stuart C. Kozan
  • Patent number: 11506083
    Abstract: Composite liners (such as acoustic panels, fan track liners, and/or ice impact panels or boxes for turbofan engines) and techniques for forming composite liners. In some examples, the composite liner includes at least one region comprising a reinforcement architecture comprising a matrix material, a plurality of relatively tough polymer-based reinforcement elements, and a plurality of second reinforcement elements. The plurality of relatively tough polymer-based reinforcement elements and the plurality of second reinforcement elements are embedded in the matrix material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporalion
    Inventors: Matthew J. Kappes, Robert Heeter, Jonathan Michael Rivers, Benedict N. Hodgson
  • Patent number: 11506223
    Abstract: An improved fan design with an impact absorbing structure is provided. The improved fan design includes a lower fan assembly connected to an upper fan assembly using a mounting bracket. The lower fan assembly may include a fan base having multiple supporting legs which are preferably rotatably connected to the lower fan assembly. The upper fan assembly of the present invention may include a fan motor and fan blades enclosed within a protective structure. The protective structure of the present invention may preferably include an outer fan cover, a fan grille, an external cage and a perimeter shock absorbing ring extending around the circumference of the outer fan cover. The perimeter shock absorbing ring may include an inner surface, an inner absorption layer and an outer surface. The inner absorption layer may preferably include one or more flexible ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Vornado Air, LLC
    Inventors: Glen W. Ediger, Brian M. Cartwright, Gary Israel, Gregory Pease, Cooper Phillips
  • Patent number: 11506063
    Abstract: An airfoil vane includes an airfoil section which includes an outer wall that defines an internal cavity. A baffle is situated in the internal cavity. The baffle includes a leading edge portion and a trailing edge portion which is bonded to the leading edge portion at a joint. The leading edge portion and the trailing edge portion define an internal cavity therewithin. Both the leading edge portion and the trailing edge portion include a plurality of cooling holes which are configured to provide cooling air to the airfoil outer wall. The trailing edge portion is formed of sheet metal and the leading edge portion is formed of non-sheet-metal. A method of making a baffle for a vane arc segment and a method of assembling a ceramic matrix composite airfoil vane are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bryan H. Farrar, Jon E. Sobanski
  • Patent number: 11506059
    Abstract: An impeller associated with a compressor of a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of impeller blades. Each impeller blade of the plurality of impeller blades has a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge in a streamwise direction. Each impeller blade of the plurality of impeller blades extends in a spanwise direction from a hub at 0% span to a tip at 100% span, and each impeller blade of the plurality of impeller blades has a plurality of mean camber lines that each extend from the leading edge to the trailing edge at a respective spanwise location. The leading edge includes a partially swept leading edge surface defined between 70% span to 100% span that extends in the streamwise direction between 3% to 15% of a mean camber line at 100% span.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Shailesh Kumar, Shakeel Nasir, Jyotichandra Jingade, Mahmoud Mansour
  • Patent number: 11499566
    Abstract: A method for forming a blade for a gas turbine engine may include forming a suction side sheath and a pressure side sheath, a first cavity and a second cavity established on opposed sides of a rib, forming a structural core configured for positioning in an interior section of the blade between the suction side sheath and the pressure side sheath, the structural core including a first core member, a second core member and a root interconnecting the first and second core members, assembling the suction side sheath and the pressure side sheath with the structural core such that the first core member is positioned in the first cavity and such that the second core member is positioned in the second cavity, and securing the suction side sheath to the pressure side sheath to form the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jason Husband, James Glaspey
  • Patent number: 11499523
    Abstract: A system (24) and method are described herein for manufacturing a wind turbine blade (22) proximate to the final installation site of a wind turbine (10). The system (24) includes a creel (72) of feeders (74) configured to apply strengthening elements (62) onto a plurality of shell core sections (26) coupled together and fed through the creel (72). The shell core sections (26) include an external surface (56) with a plurality of external grooves (58) recessed into the external surface (56) such that the strengthening elements (62) are laid into the external grooves (58). The system (24) also includes a deposition station (78) configured to apply an outer surface material layer (82) in fluid form to cover the external surface (56) and the plurality of strengthening elements (62).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Gerner Larsen, Allan Hjarbæk Holm, Julio Xavier Vianna Neto, Abdalla Khamas, Miguel Fernandez Perez
  • Patent number: 11492911
    Abstract: A stator vane of a turbine of a gas turbine engine, including an outer platform and an inner platform between which there extends an outer wall forming an outer skin, wherein it includes an inner wall, forming an inner skin, facing the outer wall so as to define an inter-skin cavity between the outer wall and the inner wall, the inner wall including a plurality of cooling orifices for impingement cooling of the outer wall, the outer wall and inner wall being produced by additive manufacturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN HELICOPTER ENGINES
    Inventors: Baptiste Hallouin, Jean-Luc Breining, Damien Laberny
  • Patent number: 11485073
    Abstract: Methods for creating an aircraft turbomachine vane using additive manufacturing include additively manufacturing a vane on a bed of powder using selective laser melting, the additive manufacturing being performed on a support plate so that first or second circumferential edges are manufactured first directly on the support plate, at least one temporary support member being produced simultaneously with the first or second edges. The methods also include removing the temporary support member by breaking its connection with the leading or trailing edge with a tool that is engaged in at least one recess thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventor: Mickaël Voiron
  • Patent number: 11486256
    Abstract: A vane arc segment includes an airfoil piece that defines first and second platforms and a hollow airfoil section that has an internal cavity and extends between the first and second platforms. The first platform defines a gaspath side, a non-gaspath side, and a flange that projects from the non-gaspath side. Support hardware supports the airfoil piece via the flange. There is a conformal thermal insulation blanket disposed on the flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: San Quach, Tyler G. Vincent, Cheng Gao, Howard J. Liles
  • Patent number: 11480070
    Abstract: A coolant delivery system for a component of a gas turbine system includes: a plurality of independent circuits of cooling channels embedded within an exterior wall of the component, each independent circuit of cooling channels including a plurality of headers and a plurality of feed tubes fluidly coupling the plurality of headers to a supply of cooling fluid; and an impingement plate connected to the exterior wall of the component by the plurality of feed tubes of the independent circuits of cooling channels, wherein, in each of the plurality of independent circuits of cooling channels, the cooling fluid flows through the plurality of feed tubes and the plurality of headers into the circuit of cooling channels only in response to a formation of a breach in the exterior wall of the component that exposes at least one of the cooling channels of the circuit of cooling channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Matthew Troy Hafner, Brad Wilson VanTassel, Christopher Donald Porter, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam
  • Patent number: 11473556
    Abstract: An alignment device for aligning multiple beams for a spar cap of a wind turbine blade of a wind turbine with respect to each other is provided. The alignment device includes a support plate, which is configured so that the multiple beams can be placed on a top side of the support plate, two limit stops, which are configured to partially enclose the multiple beams, at least one bending apparatus attached to the support plate and configured to bend the support plate, a vibration apparatus attached to the support plate and/or the at least one bending apparatus, whereby the vibration apparatus is configured to vibrate the support plate and/or the bending apparatus, so that the multiple beams become aligned with respect to each other is provided. A method for aligning multiple beams for a spar cap of a wind turbine blade of a wind turbine is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY A/S
    Inventors: Claus Burchardt, Mogens Nielsen
  • Patent number: 11473449
    Abstract: A casing assembly includes first case with a first case body at least partially disposed in a hot section. The first case body has a first case flange and the first case body adjacent to the first case flange is resiliently deformable. A second case downstream of the first case has a second case body with a second case flange extending radially outwardly to a radially-outer wall defining an outer diameter of the second case flange. The first case flange abuts the radially-outer wall of the second case flange. The second case has struts extending radially from an inner end to an outer end. The leading edge portion at the outer end of each of the struts has an axial position defined along the center axis that is similar to an axial position of the second case flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventor: Guy Lefebvre
  • Patent number: 11466574
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine component has a component body configured to be positioned within a flow path of a gas turbine engine having an external pressure, and wherein the component body includes at least one internal cavity having an internal pressure. At least one inlet opening is formed in an outer surface of the component body to direct hot exhaust gas flow into the at least one internal cavity, and there is at least one outlet from the internal cavity. The internal pressure is less than an inlet external pressure at the inlet opening and the internal pressure is greater than an outlet external pressure at the outlet opening to controllably ingest hot exhaust gas via the inlet opening and expel the hot exhaust gas via the outlet opening to maintain a laminar boundary layer along the outer surface of the component body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: JinQuan Xu, James Tilsley Auxier
  • Patent number: 11466593
    Abstract: A double walled stator housing includes a first stator housing wall, a second stator housing wall located radially outward from the first stator housing wall, and an air gap located between the first and the second stator housing walls. The housing also includes at least one support structure attached to the first stator housing wall and the second stator housing wall, spanning the air gap and configured to minimize heat transfer between the first wall and the second wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Binek, Jesus A. Garcia, Faramarz M. Zarandi, Evan J. Butcher, Jesse R. Boyer
  • Patent number: 11459901
    Abstract: An airfoil with dual-wall cooling for a gas turbine engine comprises a spar having a pressure side wall and a suction side wall meeting at a leading edge and a trailing edge of the airfoil. An interior of the spar comprises a coolant cavity. The suction side wall includes an arrangement of rails on an outer surface thereof, where each rail extends along a non-chordal direction and terminates at or near the trailing edge. The airfoil also comprises a suction side coversheet overlying the suction side wall, where an inner surface of the suction side coversheet is in contact with the arrangement of rails so as to define a plurality of angled channels between the suction side wall and the suction side coversheet. The suction side wall also comprises inlet holes in fluid communication with the coolant cavity for feeding coolant to the angled channels, and the arrangement of rails is configured to direct the coolant through the angled channels and toward the trailing edge of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brett Barker, Eric Koenig, Bruce Varney, Kyle Uhlenhake
  • Patent number: 11454136
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a shielding cartridge (1) of a turbomachine element (10), said method comprising a step of winding a carbon wire (3) comprising a plurality of fibres about a longitudinal axis and a step of trapping and preserving the outside surroundings of the wound-up wire (3) in a housing (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN HELICOPTER ENGINES
    Inventor: Ludovic Meziere