Patents Examined by Thomas P Burke
  • Patent number: 10458335
    Abstract: A minimum pressure shut-off valve closes off fuel flow responsive fuel pressure being below a predefined pressure. A sleeve includes at least a first flow window and a second flow window. The second window includes a notch providing a flow area based on an axial position of a spool moveable within the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Podgorski, Peter M. Ballard
  • Patent number: 10436114
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a combustor supported in a gas generator case. A baffle apparatus is attached to the gas generator case, surrounding an upstream section of the combustor to create at least one passage for directing an air flow discharged from a compressor diffuser to pass therethrough for cooling the combustor. The at least one passage extends from an upstream end of the combustor and has a passage exit immediately upstream of a dilution hole in the combustor. The baffle apparatus is configured to increase a velocity of the air flow entering the at least one passage and passing over the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Bhawan B. Patel, Oleg Morenko
  • Patent number: 10436063
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for mounting a turbine engine to an airframe. The turbine engine extends along an axial centerline and includes an engine core mount and an engine exhaust mount. The assembly includes a thrust pin linkage connecting and extending axially between a core thrust pin and an exhaust thrust pin. The core thrust pin is adapted to connect to the engine core mount, and the exhaust thrust pin is adapted to connect to the engine exhaust mount. One of the core thrust pin, the exhaust thrust pin and the thrust pin linkage is also adapted to connect to the airframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Shawn M. McMahon, Kirk A. Shute, Jeffrey R. Lavin, Russell P. Parrish
  • Patent number: 10436445
    Abstract: An assembly for controlling a gap between a liner and a stationary nozzle within a gas turbine includes an annular liner having an aft frame that is disposed at an aft end of the liner, and a mounting bracket that is coupled to the aft frame. The assembly further includes a turbine having an outer turbine shell and an inner turbine shell that at least partially defines an inlet to the turbine. A stationary nozzle is disposed between the aft frame and the inlet. The stationary nozzle includes a top platform portion having a leading edge that extends towards the aft frame and a bottom platform portion. A gap is defined between the aft end of the aft frame and the leading edge of the top platform portion. The mounting bracket is coupled to the outer turbine shell, and stationary nozzle is coupled to the inner turbine shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Christopher Paul Willis, Richard Martin DiCintio, Patrick Benedict Melton, Lucas John Stoia
  • Patent number: 10400710
    Abstract: A third stream duct producing a third air stream at reduced pressure that is exhausted through a separate nozzle that is concentric with the main or primary engine nozzle. The third stream exhaust air from the separate concentric nozzle is exhausted to a location at which pressure is ambient or sub-ambient. The location at which the third stream air is exhausted contributes to the thrust of the aircraft. The airstream from the third air duct is exhausted through an exhaust nozzle of the third duct that is positioned at the interface between the aft of the airframe and the leading edge of the engine outer flaps. This location is a low pressure region that has a recirculation zone. The exhaust of third stream air to this low pressure region substantially reduces or eliminates this recirculation zone and associated boat tail drag, thereby improving the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: David Lynn Dawson, Erin Lee Lariviere, Brian Joseph Petersen, Robert Jerome Ellerhorst
  • Patent number: 10385805
    Abstract: A variable geometry exhaust nozzle arrangement includes a plurality of hingable exhaust petals defining a perimeter of an exhaust duct and an annular ring slidably engagable against a radially outer surface of each petal. The annular ring is coupled to a plurality of circumferentially spaced actuator arrangements, each including first and second circumferentially spaced parallel actuator arms pivotably coupled to the annular ring at a first end and to a slide arrangement at a second end. Each slide arrangement is mounted for linear sliding movement relative to the annular ring, such that sliding movement of each slide arrangement causes pivoting of the first and second actuator arms to thereby translate the annular ring in one or both of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Jack F Colebrooke
  • Patent number: 10371089
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a cowl actuation system may comprise a cowl, an actuator, a bell crank, and a guide arm. The cowl may be configured to modulate at least a portion of the exhaust flow of a gas turbine engine. The bell crank may have a first end and a second end. The first end may be operatively coupled to the actuator. The second end may be operatively coupled to the cowl. The bell crank may be configured to pivot about a first point located between the first end and the second end. The first point may also be located along a diameter. The guide arm may have a third end and a fourth end. The third end may be mounted to a second point. The fourth end may be operatively coupled to the cowl. The second point may be located along the diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Donald W. Peters, James P. Bangerter
  • Patent number: 10371384
    Abstract: An assembly includes an injection system and an injector for an aircraft turbomachine combustion chamber. The system includes an aerodynamic bowl including a first end widening toward the downstream end and centered on a central axis of the injection system, this also including a central body along which a film of fuel is intended to flow in the downstream direction. The central body includes a second end widening toward the downstream end, the first and second widening ends between them delimiting an air through duct and the system includes motion inducing a device allowing a relative movement between the first widening end which is stationary and the second widening end, along the central axis of the injection system, by moving the central body relative to the injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Yoann Mery, Olivier Baptiste Bidart, Julien Leparoux
  • Patent number: 10344982
    Abstract: A fuel nozzle includes a first plate, a second plate axially spaced from the first plate, a shroud extending between the first plate and the second plate, thereby defining a plenum. Tubes extend through the first plate, the plenum, and the second plate. An inlet of each tube is defined through the first plate, and an outlet of each tube is located downstream of the second plate. The tube inlets have a first size, the tube outlets have a second size different from the first size, and the walls defining the tubes have a transition portion between the inlet and the outlet. The transition portion has an axial length from the fuel injection port to a location having a diameter of the second size. The transition portion of a first tube extends a first axial length and the transition portion of a second tube extends a different second axial length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Jonathan Dwight Berry
  • Patent number: 10330318
    Abstract: A heat shield with support structure and a number of heat shield blocks secured thereto, having a cold side facing the support structure and a hot side opposite the cold side. At least one recess is arranged in at least one heat shield block circumferential face, connecting the cold to hot side. An opening connecting the recess to the cold side runs in the circumferential face perpendicularly to the cold side. A securing bolt inserted into the opening secures the heat shield block to the support structure. A bolt head protrudes at least partly into the recess. The securing bolt passes through an angled plate having first limb extending substantially parallel to the circumferential face and second limb extending into the recess. The angled plate has a reinforcing device extending beyond the pure angular shape to increase a resistance of the angled plate against bending due to the securing bolt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Daniel Vogtmann, Sabine Grendel, Claus Krusch, Andre Kluge, Hartwig Dümler, Christopher Grandt, Andreas Bottcher, Tobias Krieger, Patrick Lapp
  • Patent number: 10317081
    Abstract: A fuel injector assembly for a combustor is provided, including a fuel nozzle having an axial inflow swirler and one or more radial inflow swirlers spaced radially outward of the downstream end of the fuel nozzle and mounted to the combustor, wherein the airstreams produced by the swirlers airblast atomize fuel films produced by the fuel nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: James B. Hoke
  • Patent number: 10309311
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine assembly is connected to a pylon for mounting the gas turbine engine to an aircraft. The assembly has a frame supporting at least one accessory independently of the gas turbine engine. Frame is attached to the pylon at forward and rearward engine mounting locations. The frame includes at least one hollow tube and at least one hollow tube is fluid tight. The one hollow tube is evacuated or contains pressurized fluid and a pressure sensor is provided to detect a change in pressure in the at least one hollow tube to determine if there is a leak in the at least one hollow tube and hence if the frame is damaged. This ensures that the frame may be repaired or replaced before there is a loss of operation of one or more of the accessories which may result in a failure of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE DEUTSCHLAND LTD & CO KG
    Inventors: Jürgen Beier, Gideon Daniel Venter