Patents Examined by John S Hunter, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10208606
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbomachine such as a gas turbine engine includes a pressure side and a suction side, a flow-distributing forward wall and an inner cooling wall. A switchbacked passage extends through the airfoil, and the flow-distributing forward wall has a plurality of jetting orifices formed therein and connecting the switchbacked passage to a forward cavity. The jetting orifices are oriented to produce wall jets of cooling fluid directed in an upstream direction toward a back side of the leading edge. A second passage extends between the forward cavity and outlets of the airfoil, so as to convey cooling fluid in a downstream direction toward the outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Solar Turbine Incorporated
    Inventors: Luzeng Zhang, Juan Yin, Hee-Koo Moon
  • Patent number: 10208603
    Abstract: An airfoil according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, an airfoil section having an external wall and an internal wall. The internal wall defines a first reference plane extending in a spanwise direction and through a thickness of the internal wall. A first cavity and a second cavity are separated by the internal wall. A plurality of crossover passages within the internal wall connects the first cavity to the second cavity. The plurality of crossover passages are arranged such that the passage axis of each of the plurality of cooling passages intersects a surface of the second cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: JinQuan Xu, Scott D. Lewis
  • Patent number: 10208616
    Abstract: A turbomachine, particularly an aircraft engine, having a rotor, which is mounted rotatably around its longitudinal axis in a stator, and which has at least one row of rotating blades, which is formed by a plurality of rotating blades, is disclosed, wherein the stator has at least one abradable layer, and wherein each rotating blade has a blade tip that is lowered radially inward, at least in sections, proceeding from a leading edge on the side of the rotating blades in the direction of a trailing edge on the side of the rotating blades, and with a blade tip region that extends downstream from the leading edge runs into the abradable layer during operation of the turbomachine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: MTU AERO ENGINES AG
    Inventors: Axel Mattschas, Helmut Eibl, Sergio Elorza Gomez, Dirk Henrichs
  • Patent number: 10196905
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbomachine such as a gas turbine engine includes a switchbacked passage for conveying cooling fluid, and flow-distribution passages in a forward wall so as to direct cooling fluid from the internal passage for back side impingement upon a leading edge of the airfoil. An inner cooling wall forms a passage for discharging the spent cooling air from a trailing edge of the airfoil after impingement, and cools one of a pressure side and a suction side of the airfoil by way of conduction. The switchbacked passage may have a serpentine form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated
    Inventors: Luzeng Zhang, Juan Yin, Hee-Koo Moon
  • Patent number: 10184455
    Abstract: Horizontal axis W/T of low wind speeds of propeller type, bearing a main rotor of three blades (1), while in the space between two successive blades (1) and diametrically opposite to the third, an additional 4th blade (2) also of propeller type but of significantly longer length, is interposed. This additional blade (2) is not permanently coupled but selectively engaged in the system of the W/T at low wind speeds, contributing to the startup and enhancing the energy production. The blade (2) bears diametrically opposite a counterweight (15) to balance the forces developed, and rotates in a plane parallel to the main rotor. The coupling of the blade (2) is preferably made at the stand-by state or at low wind speed operation of the W/T, while the uncoupling will be performed during operating state and at the rated power. The blade (2) after uncoupling, gets in vertical position and remains immobilized attached to the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Inventors: Emmanuil Dermitzakis, Aristeidis Dermitzakis
  • Patent number: 10174618
    Abstract: A rotor for a turbine has a plurality of rotor components lined up in the axial direction and connected by a connecting rod, wherein a groove which extends in the circumferential direction and is open in the axial direction is disposed on one of the rotor components, wherein a coupling element running around the connecting rod in order to support the connecting rod is disposed in the groove. The rotor is adapted to enable particularly stable support of the connecting rod in order to prevent vibrations. The coupling element is disposed on a retaining element connected to the connecting rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Karin Costamagna, Sascha Dungs, Harald Hoell, Kevin Kampka, Karsten Kolk, Ulf Laudage, Peter Schröder, Vyacheslav Veitsman
  • Patent number: 10161404
    Abstract: A turbo-molecular pump comprises: a pump rotor including rotor blades and a rotor cylindrical section; stationary blades facing the rotor blades; a cylindrical stator facing the rotor cylindrical section; a base housing the cylindrical stator; and a heating member for heating the cylindrical stator. An emissivity of an outer surface of the cylindrical stator and an emissivity of an outer surface of a member facing the cylindrical stator, the outer surface facing the cylindrical stator, are lower than the emissivity of outer surfaces of the rotor blades, the outer surfaces facing the stationary blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shingo Tsutsui, Tetsuya Tsubokawa
  • Patent number: 10161251
    Abstract: A rotor disk for a turbomachine includes a disk body, a rim configured to connect to or include a rotor blade disposed on a radially outward portion of the disk body, a bore defined in a radially inward portion of the disk body and configured to be radially adjacent to a shaft, and a thermal regulation aperture defined in the disk body, radially inward of the rim, for allowing flow to pass axially through the disk body when disposed in a stage of a turbomachine, and a thermal regulation aperture defined in the disk body for allowing flow to pass through the disk body when disposed in a stage of a turbomachine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew E. Bintz, Matthew P. Forcier, Paul J. Hiester
  • Patent number: 10160539
    Abstract: A rotorcraft rotor having each of its blades fitted with a lead/lag damper. A connection device between the blade root of a blade under consideration and a lead/lag damper comprises a rod passing through a laminated ball joint secured to a distal endpiece of the lead/lag damper. The rod extends in the general plane in which the blade extends, being prevented from moving firstly in rotation by being embedded in the blade root and secondly in translation along the general transversely-extending direction of the blade by being pinned to a U-shaped yoke fastened to the blade root.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS
    Inventor: Fabien Massal
  • Patent number: 10113438
    Abstract: A stator vane shiplap assembly is provided. The stator vane shiplap assembly may comprise a plurality of stator clusters, coupled together to form an annular shape. Each stator cluster may comprise a shiplap stator shroud and a plurality of stator vanes. The shiplap stator shroud may comprise a female end and a male end, with each end comprising a complimentary forward shiplap surface and outward shiplap surface. In response to a coupling of adjacent shiplap stator shrouds, the female forward shiplap surface and the female outward shiplap surface may form a compound shiplap seal joint with the male forward shiplap surface and the male outward shiplap surface. A feather seal may also be introduced between the coupling of adjacent shiplap stator shrouds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: William Edwards, Jeffrey Ponchak
  • Patent number: 9752780
    Abstract: Described is an abradable component for a gas turbine engine that includes a base having an outboard side which receives a supply of cooling air in use and an inboard side with a plurality of walls thereon. The walls intersect one another to define an abradable network of open faced cells on a gas washed surface thereof, and at least one of the walls includes one or more through-holes for providing a flow of cooling air from the outboard side to the gas washed surface of the abradable network of open faced cells, when in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Simon Lloyd Jones, Kevin Paul Self, Mark John Simms