Patents Examined by Jesse Prager
  • Patent number: 9506350
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade of the spar and shell construction, where a one piece shell is secured to a hollow spar using a plurality of chordwise extending shear ties that are cast into a space formed between the shell interior and the spar exterior. A fill pipe is inserted into the hollow spar and is used to deliver the liquid retainer material to the hard to reach slots formed in which the shear ties solidify.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: S&J DESIGN, LLC
    Inventor: Robert L Memmen
  • Patent number: 9500088
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a blade rim segment for a turbomachine with at least one shroud band which extends along a segment of a circle and is connected in single-piece fashion with at least three blades, which extend radially from the shroud band and are configured to be hollow with at least one channel, wherein the blade rim segment is manufactured in a single piece by casting and directional solidification, and wherein at the outlet openings of the channels of the blades, the shroud band exhibits first reinforcement ribs that surround the opening and run axially, as well as at least one second reinforcement rib between at least the first reinforcement ribs, as well as a corresponding method for manufacturing a blade rim segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: MTU AERO ENGINES AG
    Inventors: Markus Schlemmer, Marcin Rozak, Alexander Buck
  • Patent number: 9500198
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a multiple spool engine turbocharger are described. In one example approach, a multi-spool turbocharger comprises a compressor including a plurality of counter-rotating compressor spools and a turbine including a plurality of counter-rotating turbine spools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Keith D. Miazgowicz
  • Patent number: 9498850
    Abstract: The structural case has an annular body having a central axis and including a plurality of boss sections circumferentially interspaced from one another around the axis by a plurality of arcuate panel sections, each panel section having: two parallel arcuate structural flange members being axially interspaced from one another; a sheet metal wall extending between and interconnecting the two flange members; and at least one rib having an edge welded to the sheet-metal wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: David Denis, Andreas Eleftheriou, David Harold Menheere
  • Patent number: 9494052
    Abstract: A borescope plug configuration is disclosed. The borescope plug configuration comprises an inspection path defined through a bore in a first engine structure, a second engine structure, and an opening into the gas path of an engine. The borescope plug configuration further comprises a removable plug for sealing the inspection path. The removable plug is adapted to couple the first engine structure to the second engine structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: David T. Feindel, Jorge I. Farah
  • Patent number: 9488104
    Abstract: A lubrication system for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The lubrication system is configured to provide pressurized air and lubricant to a bearing sump of the gas turbine engine to cool and lubricate a bearing included in the bearing sump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventor: Larry A. Junod
  • Patent number: 9482208
    Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade is assembled from a first and a second rotor blade half shell made of a fiber-reinforced plastics material. An electrical heating arrangement includes a first heating element connected to the first rotor blade half shell and having a blade root end and a blade tip end and a second heating element connected to the second rotor blade half shell also having a blade root end and a blade tip end. The heating arrangement also includes a third heating element connected to the rotor blade half shells and having a blade root end and a blade tip end. The blade tip ends of the first, second and third heating elements are mutually electrically connected. The blade root ends of the first, second and third heating elements are connected to respective electrical connecting lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Nordex Energy GmbH
    Inventors: Astrid Loewe, Oskar Renschler, Philipp Rindt
  • Patent number: 9470137
    Abstract: A cooling device for use with an engine is provided. The cooling device includes a flow control portion that includes a base and an opening defined therein. The flow control portion also includes a plurality of blades that extend from at least a portion of the base. The cooling device also includes a grid portion having an opening defined therein, said grid portion opening is substantially concentrically aligned with the base opening. An attachment portion is configured to couple the cooling device to at least one rotatable component of the engine. Each of the flow control portion, the grid portion, and the attachment portion are formed integrally together such that the cooling device is a single component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Christopher W. Vaughn, Jeffrey A. Wians
  • Patent number: 9453511
    Abstract: A regenerative pump (100) comprises at least one pump unit (105), the at least one pump unit comprising a casing or housing (110) comprising a fluid passage channel (115); and at least one impeller (120) provided inside the casing or housing for pumping the fluid through the fluid passage channel, wherein the casing or housing comprises at least one inlet channel (130) and at least one outlet channel (140) in communication with the fluid passage channel, the at least one inlet channel and/or the at least one outlet channel each comprising a first or axial portion (134) at least partially and preferably substantially parallel to an axis of rotation of the at least one impeller. The pump can be arranged in a single stage or multistage configuration, and has improved weight/size ratio and performance characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: Quail Research and Design Limited
    Inventor: Francis Quail
  • Patent number: 9441540
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is disclosed an inducer assembly for use with a gas turbine engine. The inducer assembly may include a cavity. The inducer assembly may also include an inducer in fluid communication with the cavity. Moreover, the inducer assembly may include at least one guide vane disposed within the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard William Johnson, David Martin Johnson, Bradley James Miller, Mitchell Merrill
  • Patent number: 9429025
    Abstract: A rotor blade including a main portion having a main portion leading edge shield; a main portion impact-resistant layer formed on a nose of the leading edge shield; a main portion erosion-resistant layer formed on a top and bottom of the main portion, rearward of the main portion impact-resistant layer; a main portion foil formed on the top and the bottom of the main portion rearward of the main portion erosion-resistant layer; a tip cap having a tip cap leading edge shield; a tip cap impact-resistant layer formed on a surface of the tip cap leading edge shield; and a tip cap foil formed on the top and the bottom of the tip cap rearward of the tip cap erosion-resistant layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: William C. Harris, Jr., John P. Kopchik, Richard Ely
  • Patent number: 9422825
    Abstract: A synchronization ring for a gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a synchronization ring for a variable vane assembly. A plurality of rollers are attached to the synchronization ring for engaging a case on the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Logan H. Do
  • Patent number: 9421742
    Abstract: A sandwich laminate for wind turbine blades includes a sandwich core material and an upper laminate part and a lower laminate part, wherein the upper laminate part and the lower laminate part have a thermoplastic matrix material and heating elements. The heating elements are electrically conductive fibers constituting electric circuits in the interior part of the thermoplastic matrix. Further, a wind turbine blade including such a sandwich laminate as well as a method of manufacturing such a sandwich laminate are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Erik Grove-Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9410550
    Abstract: An air-extracting type heat dissipating apparatus includes a frame, a fan body, a plurality of air-inhaling holes and a plurality of air-exhaling holes. The side portion of the frame has an accommodating space. The fan body is disposed in the frame and has a first side and a second side. The air-inhaling holes are disposed on the side portion of the frame in corresponding to the accommodating space. The air-exhaling holes are disposed on the frame and located on the second side. An air is inhaled into the accommodating space through the air-inhaling holes, and exhaled to the first side through the air-exhaling holes, and then it is exhaled to the second side by the fan body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Shir-Harn Yeh, Yi-Ming Wu, Po-Hao Yu
  • Patent number: 9394797
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a steam turbine nozzle and turbomachinery including such a nozzle. In various particular embodiments, a steam turbine nozzle includes: a body having: a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall; a pressure side and a suction side each extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and a leading edge section at a first junction of the pressure side and the suction side, and a trailing edge section at a second junction of the pressure side and the suction side; and a bypass fluid conduit including: a channel having an opening to at least one of the first sidewall or the second sidewall; and an outlet passageway fluidly connected with the channel between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the outlet passageway including a first opening on at least one of the pressure side of the body, the suction side of the body or the trailing edge section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, Steven Sebastian Burdgick, Prashant Prabhakar Sankolli, Moorthi Subramaniyan
  • Patent number: 9382813
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a turbomachine diaphragm ring. In various particular embodiments, a turbomachine diaphragm ring includes: a packing slot sized to house a dovetail section of a turbomachine packing, the packing slot extending circumferentially about a rotational axis of the turbomachine; a key slot connected with the packing slot sized to house a portion of a key member, the key slot extending at least one of radially or axially from the packing slot; and a retaining slot connected with the key slot and extending substantially circumferentially from the key slot, the retaining slot sized to house a retaining member for retaining the key member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Reid, James Peter Anderson, Steven Sebastian Burdgick, Mark Richard DeLorenzo
  • Patent number: 9382802
    Abstract: A compressor rotor is provided having a rotor blade groove thereon and also includes a device for cooling the rotor in the region of a compressor rotor exit. Efficient cooling is achieved by the compressor rotor, in a compressor rotor exit region, having a ring which is pushed concentrically, and at a distance, forming a gap, over a rotor disk of the rotor, and is fastened on the disk, by the rotor blades, in the compressor rotor exit region, being inserted into corresponding grooves on the ring and being retained there, by first means for directing an axial flow of cooling medium from the compressor rotor exit through the ring, and by second means for deflecting the cooling medium which issues from the ring such that the cooling medium flows back in the axial direction through the gap between the ring and the rotor disk, encompassed by the ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Dombek, Mauro Corradi
  • Patent number: 9382807
    Abstract: Turbomachinery, such as a gas turbine engine, has parts with opposed first and second surfaces and with a cavity between the surfaces and with the first surface moving relative to the second surface. The turbomachinery further has at least one feature for creating pressure variations incorporated into the first and second surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Eric A. Grover, Thomas J. Praisner, Joel H. Wagner
  • Patent number: 9359902
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine and having at least one ambient air cooling system is disclosed. At least a portion of the cooling system may include one or more cooling channels configured to receive ambient air at about atmospheric pressure. The ambient air cooling system may have a tip static pressure to ambient pressure ratio of at least 0.5, and in at least one embodiment, may include a tip static pressure to ambient pressure ratio of between about 0.5 and about 3.0. The cooling system may also be configured such that an under root slot chamber in the root is large to minimize supply air velocity. One or more cooling channels of the ambient air cooling system may terminate at an outlet at the tip such that the outlet is aligned with inner surfaces forming the at least one cooling channel in the airfoil to facilitate high mass flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian X. Campbell, Jr., John J. Marra, Jan H. Marsh
  • Patent number: 9353626
    Abstract: A rotor assembly for a gas turbine engine, with an annular sleeve having an inner member connected around the shaft to rotate together therewith and having an outer member with a first end connected to the inner member, the outer member defining an annular continuous frustoconical inner surface angled such as to extend closer to the central axis near the first end. A rotor disc includes an annular protuberance extending radially inwardly of the outer member and forced toward the first end, and having an annular continuous frustoconical outer surface complementary to the inner surface of the outer member and in torque-transmitting engagement therewith. The assembly includes means for axially pressing the sleeve and the disc against one another to maintain the complementary frustoconical surfaces in torque-transmitting engagement. A method of engaging a rotor disc to a driving shaft in a gas turbine engine is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Andreas Eleftheriou, Richard Ivakitch