Patents Examined by William Grigos
  • Patent number: 8882447
    Abstract: This hydraulic machine (1) has a wheel (2) mounted to move in rotation relative to a stationary structure (9) and about a stationary axis of rotation (X2), the wheel (2) being designed to pass a forced flow (E) of water therethrough. A hydrostatic bearing (100), provided between firstly an element (111) constrained to rotate with the wheel (2) and, secondly a portion (91) of the stationary structure (9), is disposed between a first zone (Z1) of the machine, which zone is in fluid communication with the forced flow (E) and in which zone, during operation, a pressure prevails that is similar to the pressure of the forced flow, and a second zone (Z2) of the machine that is isolated from the forced flow by said bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Alstom Renewable Technologies
    Inventors: Yves Bouvet, Jean Francois Bertea
  • Patent number: 8870538
    Abstract: A gearbox assembly includes a first face gear driveable about a face gear axis in a first direction by at least one first pinion gear and a second face gear driveable about the face gear axis in a second direction opposite the first direction by at least one second pinion gear. A thrust bearing is located between the first face gear and the second face gear. The first face gear is configured to drive rotation of a first shaft in the first direction and the second face gear is configured to drive rotation of a second shaft in the second direction. Further disclosed is a power train for a rotary wing aircraft having a gearbox including a first face gear rotatable in a first direction and a second face gear rotatable in a second direction opposite the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventor: Todd A. Garcia
  • Patent number: 8870542
    Abstract: A turbomachine is disclosed. The turbomachine includes a rotor, a plurality of blades arranged side by side on the rotor in a circumferential direction, and a plurality of sealing apparatuses each disposed on a respective blade shaft of the plurality of blades. Each of the plurality of sealing apparatuses includes first and second bottom plates protruding in a respective axial direction on the respective blade shaft and first and second bulkheads which extend in a radial direction along the respective blade shaft and form a double-walled seal in the axial direction. A respective rounded or parabolic transitional cross-section from the bottom plates to the bulkheads is provided and at least one of the bulkheads is offset with respect to a blade root edge of the respective blade shaft in a direction toward a radial longitudinal axis of the respective blade shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Feldmann, Markus Uecker, Benedikt Heidenreich, Dieter Freno
  • Patent number: 8864445
    Abstract: The present application provides a method of installing an impingement cooling assembly in an inner platform of an airfoil of a turbine nozzle. The method may include the steps of positioning an insert within a cavity of the airfoil, positioning a core exit cover about an opening of the cavity, positioning an impingement plenum within a platform cavity, inserting an unfixed spoolie through an assembly port of the impingement plenum and into an airflow cavity of the insert, and closing the assembly port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Walter Coign, Aaron Gregory Winn
  • Patent number: 8845286
    Abstract: A turbine section of a gas turbine engine is provided. The turbine section is annular about a longitudinal axis and includes first turbine with a first inlet and a first outlet; a second turbine with a second inlet and a second outlet; an inter-turbine duct extending from the first outlet to the second inlet and configured to direct an air flow from the first turbine to the second turbine; and a first guide vane disposed within the inter-turbine duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Dhinagaran Ramachandran, Sujatha Guntu, Vinayender Kuchana, Balamurugan Srinivasan, Anish Gupta, Paul Couey, Craig McKeever, Malak Malak, Gopal Samy Muthiah
  • Patent number: 8834122
    Abstract: A turbine bucket includes a radially inner mounting portion, a shank radially outward of the mounting portion, a radially outer airfoil and a substantially planar platform radially between the shank and the airfoil. At least one axially-extending angel wing seal flange is formed on a leading end of the shank thus forming a circumferentially extending trench cavity along the leading end of the shank, radially between an underside of the platform leading edge and the angel wing seal flange. A plurality of substantially radially grooves are formed on a radially outer surface of the angel wing seal flange and extend into the shank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Clint Luigie Ingram
  • Patent number: 8834128
    Abstract: A tension-torque-transmission element (3; 3?; 4) for a rotor blade of a rotary wing aircraft (helicopter), in particular for a fenestron blade of a tail rotor, with a connecting section on the blade side and a connecting section (30; 30?; 40) on the axis side, with a connecting eye (32) on each connecting section, and with a torque-transmission section (34; 34?; 44) that connects the connecting sections (30; 30?; 40), is improved in that the tension-torque-transmission element (3; 3?; 4) is designed in a fiber-reinforced composite design including several layers (A to G) of a textile fabric. A method for producing such a tension-torque-transmission element (3; 3?; 4) is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Gerald Kuntze-Fechner, Martin Schulz
  • Patent number: 8827643
    Abstract: A turbine bucket includes a platform and an airfoil. A leading edge of the platform leading is circumferentially defined by a continuous curve forming at least one axially extending projection and an adjacent recess, the axially-extending projection located adjacent a leading edge of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Clint Luigie Ingram
  • Patent number: 8827633
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a fan section. A turbine section is coupled to the fan section via a geared architecture. The geared architecture includes a torque frame and a flex support spaced apart from one another at a location. A gear train is supported by the torque frame. A viscous damper is provided between the torque frame and the flex support at the location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: James B. Coffin, John R. Otto
  • Patent number: 8821106
    Abstract: The present application provides a rotor coupling guard for use with removing a flow of air about a rotor coupling of a turbo-machine. The rotor coupling guard may include an inner cover with a number of apertures surrounding the rotor coupling and an outer cover surrounding the inner cover. Rotation of the rotor coupling forces the flow of air through the apertures in the inner cover and away from the rotor coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Donkada Santhosh, Rohit Pruthi, Vishwas Kumar Pandey, Abhishek Agrawal
  • Patent number: 8807923
    Abstract: A wind turbine having a tower and a rotor hub that is supported by the tower. At least one blade extends from the rotor hub, and a nacelle is located proximate the rotor hub. The wind turbine also has a transport conduit that selectively provides communication between an interior of the nacelle and an interior of the rotor hub. The transport conduit may have a collapsed condition in which the transport conduit is located completely within the nacelle, and an extended condition in which the transport conduit partially extends into the interior of the rotor hub. In a specific embodiment, the transport conduit is a telescoping structure. A method for using the transport conduit includes accessing the interior of the nacelle to position an object therein and transporting the object to the interior of the rotor hub using the transport conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Kennet Ryan Olesen, Torben Friis Baun, Jesper Lykkegaard Andersen
  • Patent number: 8807918
    Abstract: An impeller for use in a containment structure has a hub, a blade attaching to the hub for compressing air as the blade rotates with the hub, and an annulus disposed about the hub whereby the annulus reduces an effect of the hub breaking apart such that a weight of the containment structure is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Behzad Hagshenas
  • Patent number: 8807929
    Abstract: A turbine housing for a supercharger, includes an inlet opening, a turbine seat and a race extending from the inlet opening to the turbine seat, the race including a first spiral chamber (7) which mouth into the turbine seat and a second spiral chamber (8) which mouth into the turbine seat. Both the first spiral chamber (7) and the second spiral chamber (8) mouth in a first angular segment (?) of the turbine seat, the axial height of the mouth into the turbine seat of the second spiral chamber (8) in the first angular segment (?) is bigger in the end of the first angular segment (?) than in the beginning thereof seen in a flow direction (F), and in that the A/R-ratio of the first spiral chamber (7) is smaller than the common A/R-ratio of the first spiral chamber (7) and the second spiral chamber (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Alpraaz AB
    Inventor: Christian V. Koenigsegg
  • Patent number: 8807924
    Abstract: A fan blade has a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Channels are formed into the main body from at least one open side. A plurality of ribs extend across the main body intermediate the channels. The fan blade has a dovetail, and an airfoil extending radially outwardly from the dovetail. The channels have a termination end adjacent a radially inner end of the ribs. The termination end is formed along a complex fillet with a first radius of curvature formed at the termination end, and a second radius of curvature merging into sides of the ribs. The second radius of curvature is greater than the first radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher S. McKaveney, James R. Murdock
  • Patent number: 8807917
    Abstract: Disclosed is an assembled helical turbine system, which can prevent its assembly/disassembly from being hindered by a rotational force generated during the assembly/disassembly process. The assembled helical turbine system includes a helical turbine formed with a plurality of blades in such a manner as to continuously generate a rotational force under unidirectional or multidirectional fluid flow; a housing assembly for rotatably supporting the helical turbine while surrounding the helical turbine; stoppers formed on a peripheral surface of the housing assembly in such a manner as to protrude to a predetermined height from the peripheral surface; and a housing supporter for supporting the housing assembly in such a manner that the housing assembly can be inserted into and withdrawn from the housing supporter, the housing supporter having catch grooves that are recessed in a shape corresponding to the stoppers so as to fix the stoppers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI)
    Inventors: Jin Soon Park, Kwang Soo Lee, Ki Dai Yum, Seong Eun Kim, Myoung Hak Oh, Choong Beom Lee, Hyung Jin An
  • Patent number: 8807925
    Abstract: A fan blade has a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Channels are formed into the main body from at least one open side. A plurality of ribs extend across the main body intermediate the channels. The fan blade has a dovetail, and an airfoil extends radially outwardly from the dovetail. The ribs having a thickness defined as measured from said leading edge toward said trailing edge. The ribs have break-edges at ends of the thickness that extend away from an outer face of the rib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher S. McKaveney, James R. Murdock
  • Patent number: 8807926
    Abstract: A variable capacity type turbocharger includes a bearing housing which rotatably supports a turbine impeller; a turbine housing; and an exhaust nozzle, wherein the exhaust nozzle includes a pair of exhaust introduction walls forming a passageway of the exhaust gas and a plurality of nozzle vanes disposed between the pair of exhaust introduction walls and supported to be rotatable about the turbine impeller, and wherein each nozzle vane includes a high-pressure wall surface facing the scroll passageway, the bearing housing side of the high-pressure wall surface is provided to be closer to the turbine impeller than the turbine housing side thereof, and when the turbine impeller rotates, the nozzle vane moves toward the turbine housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Nagao, Isao Morita, Satomi Unno, Hiroki Ono
  • Patent number: 8807954
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of preparing an assembly, including providing a first structure; providing a second structure; providing at least one flexible adhesive limiting member extending between the structures; and providing an adhesive between the structures to bind the structures to each other; wherein the adhesive is limited by the flexible adhesive limiting member such that a concave front line surface of the adhesive is defined. The invention also relates to such an assembly as well as to a wind turbine rotor blade, and to a wind turbine, having such an assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventor: Adrian Gill
  • Patent number: 8801367
    Abstract: A fan blade has a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Channels are formed into the main body from an open side extending toward an opposed closed side. A plurality of ribs extending across the main body intermediate the channels, the fan blade has a dovetail, and an airfoil extending radially outwardly from said dovetail. A bottom surface of the channels is defined at the closed side of the channels. Sides of the channel merge into sides of the ribs, with a compound fillet at the bottom surface. A first radius of curvature is used along the bottom, and merging into at least a second radius of curvature at the sides. The first radius of curvature is larger than the second radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Weisse, Christopher S. McKaveney
  • Patent number: 8801383
    Abstract: A propeller assembly includes a hub and a blade installed in the hub. A bearing arrangement retains the blade in the hub and includes an outer bearing race at the hub including a first outer race radius and a second outer race radius different from the first outer race radius, connected by an outer relief. The bearing arrangement further includes an inner bearing race at the blade including a first inner race radius and a second inner race radius different from the first inner race radius, connected by an inner relief. A plurality of bearing balls are installed between the inner race and outer race thereby retaining the blade at the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Matthew C. Soule