Patents Examined by Woody A Lee, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11441431
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a holding system for the dismantling of a blade wheel, the blade wheel comprising: a disc, a plurality of blades configured to be mounted circumferentially around the disc, the plurality of blades defining a plurality of inter-blade spaces, each of the inter-blade spaces being defined circumferentially between two adjacent blades of the plurality of blades, the holding system comprising a plurality of inserts, each of the inserts being configured to be inserted into each of the inter-blade spaces in a holding position so as to hold the relative position of the blades when the plurality of blades is dismantled from the disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Nicolas Daniel Delaporte, Alain Dominique Gendraud, Emmanuel Bernard Marie Charrier
  • Patent number: 11441447
    Abstract: A ring-segment surface-side member is included in a ring segment disposed at a position opposite to a turbine blade on a stationary side of a gas turbine, serves as a part of a combustion gas flow path through which combustion gas flows, and is formed of a ceramic matrix composite. The ring-segment surface-side member includes: a surface portion forming the combustion gas flow path; a turned-back portion including a first part extending outward in a radial direction of the gas turbine from the surface portion and a second part extending toward a central line of the surface portion from an end part of the first part; and a protrusion portion extending outward from the turned-back portion in the radial direction of the gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yamato Shiramasa, Ryuta Ito, Takayuki Kurimura, Yoshifumi Tsuji
  • Patent number: 11434765
    Abstract: A turbine engine with at least a compressor section, combustor section, turbine section and a set of airfoils. The airfoils include geometric characteristics to create a high contraction ratio (CR), a low blade turning (BT) at a radially inward location the airfoil, a low solidity, or a low aspect ratio (AR).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignees: General Electric Company, GE AVIO S.r.l.
    Inventors: Ernesto Sozio, Francesco Bertini, Jeffrey Donald Clements, Jonathan Ong, Lyle Douglas Dailey, Paul Hadley Vitt, Matteo Renato Usseglio
  • Patent number: 11434878
    Abstract: There is provided a wind turbine rotor blade comprising a rotor blade casing, and a lightning protection system having at least one lightning protection cable and a lighting protection cable holder. The lighting protection cable holder is fixed in or to the inside of the rotor blade casing. The lighting protection conductor holder has a first part and a second part. The first part is fixed to an inside of the rotor blade casing and has a receiving portion for receiving the lighting protection cable. The second part is in the form of a cover or covering means and is placed over the receiving portion. The first and second parts each have a radar-absorbing core or a radar-absorbing layer and an electrically insulating material which surrounds the radar-absorbing core or the radar-absorbing layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Wobben Properties GmbH
    Inventors: Daniel Vinke, Sebastian Engelhardt
  • Patent number: 11434785
    Abstract: A jacket ring assembly for a turbomachine, the jacket ring assembly including a casing part, a jacket ring segment which is adapted to radially outwardly surround a rotor blade ring and to this end is disposed radially inwardly of the casing part, as considered with respect to a longitudinal axis of the turbomachine, and a segmented ring which is circumferentially divided into segments and by which the jacket ring segment is mounted to the casing part, the segmented ring being axially form-fittingly disposed on a form-fitting element of the casing part, for which purpose each of the respective segments of the segmented ring is radially outwardly assembled with the form-fitting element, and the segmented ring forming a supporting seat on which the jacket ring segment is seated and radially inwardly supported with an axially forward end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines AG
    Inventor: Manfred Feldmann
  • Patent number: 11428113
    Abstract: Variable stator vanes with anti-lock trunnions are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes an airfoil to be disposed within a flow path of a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine defining an axial axis, a radial axis and a circumferential axis, an outer trunnion, and an inner trunnion including a curved surface in an axial-radial plane, the inner trunnion enabling the airfoil to be rotatably mounted to an inner shroud of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Vishnu Das K, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli
  • Patent number: 11428203
    Abstract: This invention relates to a sleeve and a modular wind turbine blade comprising such a sleeve. The modular wind turbine blade comprises a first blade and a second blade section, wherein the two blade sections are joined together to form a joint interface having a number of adjoining end lines located in the outer surfaces. A sleeve is positioned over the joint interface and connected to both the first and second blade sections. The body of the sleeve extends over the adjoining end lines and protects them from environmental and external impacts. The sleeve further comprises a number of airflow modifying elements projecting from the outer surface of the sleeve. The airflow modifying elements may be stall fences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: LM WIND POWER US TECHNOLOGY APS
    Inventor: Jordy Hertel Nilsson Van Kalken
  • Patent number: 11421695
    Abstract: Turbomachines such as air dynamometers are disclosed that include a radial outflow compressor and gas collector. In some examples, the gas collector is designed as a separate component that is coupled to the machine, such as coupled to a frame. In some examples, the collector and frame are intentionally spaced and coupled at discrete points to minimize the transfer of mechanical and thermal energy therebetween. Aspects of the present disclosure also include turbomachines that include at least one impeller bypass flow path for the direct transfer of air between ambient and a location in the collector downstream of the impeller blades. In some examples, such flowpath(s) may allow for the inflow of external ambient air into the collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Concepts NREC, LLC
    Inventors: Kevin Fairman, Song Xue
  • Patent number: 11421541
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle for a gas turbine engine includes an outer endwall, and an inner endwall spaced apart from the outer endwall. The turbine nozzle includes at least one airfoil coupled between the inner endwall and the outer endwall, and a compliant joint defined in at least one of the outer endwall and the inner endwall. The compliant joint includes at least one partially-fused seal that is configured to restrict a flow of fluid through the at least one of the outer endwall and the inner endwall and to form a slip-joint above a predetermined threshold stress. The slip-joint is configured to maintain a radial position of the at least one of the outer endwall and the inner endwall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Peter Hall, Mark Morris, Manuel Sandoval, Robert Burkhead
  • Patent number: 11421704
    Abstract: A blower wheel having a plurality of blower wheel blades arranged in a blade ring, which are connected to a disc covering the blower wheel blades, at least in sections, on at least one axial side, wherein a connection between the blower wheel blades and the disc determines a transition geometry, which has a rounded curve of a quadratic function when viewed in the cross-section, at least on one side of the blower wheel blades, particularly a side facing radially inward with respect to an axis of rotation of the blower wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: ebm-papst Mulfingen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Erhard Gruber, Jens Müller, Alexander Konzal
  • Patent number: 11421548
    Abstract: An engine assembly with an electric motor that includes a cooling system of which a heat sink portion is arranged in an exhaust cone downstream of the fan driven by the electric motor, that is designed to effect thermal exchanges with a wall of the exhaust cone. Such an electric rear fan arrangement with boundary layer ingestion enables a cold air flow coming from the fan when the engine assembly is in operation to be used to cool the different components of the engine assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Inventors: Mathieu Belleville, Jérome Colmagro
  • Patent number: 11414993
    Abstract: A retention assembly for interconnecting first and second rotating components in a gas turbine engine. The second component includes an engagement portion defining protrusions circumferentially spaced apart and extending axially therefrom. A threaded fastener axially retains the second rotating component to the first and has key-receiving slots and a circumferentially-extending groove. A key washer is mounted to the fastener and defines first and second axial surfaces. The key washer has a first set of keys extending radially inwardly from a radially inner surface and received within the key-receiving slots and a second set of keys extending from the second axial surface. A retaining ring is disposed within the groove, is radially retained by the protrusions extending axially from the second component, axially retained between the second set of keys and the second axial surface, and radially spaced apart from the second set of keys to define a radial gap therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Franco Di Paola, Thierry Stocco
  • Patent number: 11415016
    Abstract: A turbine assembly for use with a gas turbine engine includes a bladed wheel assembly, a vane assembly, and an inner seal. The bladed wheel assembly is adapted to interact with gases flowing through a gas path of the gas turbine engine. The vane assembly is located upstream of the bladed wheel assembly and adapted to direct the gases at the bladed wheel assembly. The inner seal is configured to block gases from passing around the vane assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Whittle, Keith Sadler, Ted J. Freeman
  • Patent number: 11415111
    Abstract: Provided is a lightning protection system for a wind turbine, including a connection unit to be placed between a nacelle and at least one blade of the wind turbine for conducting lightning current and/or static energy from the at least one blade to the nacelle, the connection unit including a first end portion with at least one nacelle contacting element, a second end portion with at least one blade contacting element, at least one first support member supporting the at least one nacelle contacting element, at least one second support member supporting the at least one blade contacting element, a base portion located between the first support member and the second support member, and at least one shifting element mechanically connecting the first support member and/or the second support member slidably relative to the base portion for amending a length of the connection unit in an amending direction from the blade to the nacelle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Inventor: Jose Manuel Garcia Perez
  • Patent number: 11408435
    Abstract: A rotor includes: a hub; and a plurality of blades disposed on the hub. Each of the plurality of blades has a suction surface, a pressure surface, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a tip-side edge, and a hub-side edge. The suction surface has a first curved surface portion curved convexly toward the trailing edge such that the trailing edge is inclined to a pressure surface side in a first region which is a partial region, in a blade height direction of the blade, of a region connected to the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINE & TURBOCHARGER, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichiro Iwakiri, Nobuhito Oka, Hironori Honda
  • Patent number: 11408440
    Abstract: The present application provides a stator blade, a compressor structure and a compressor. The stator blade comprises a blade body, wherein a cavity is formed inside the blade body, and a gas supply hole is formed on the blade body. The present application forms a jet on the suction surface of the stator blade by supplemented gas, thereby blowing off the low-speed low-energy region formed by the suction surface, reducing the gas flow mixing loss caused by the supplemented gas, thereby improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the centrifugal compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignees: Gree Electric Appliances (Wuhan) Co., Ltd., Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai
    Inventors: Zengyue Liu, Ruixing Zhong, Liandong Lei, Yuhui Chen, Nan Jiang, Xinwang Ouyang, Caiyun Jiang, Yi Zhou
  • Patent number: 11408437
    Abstract: A vacuum pump includes a rotor that has a rotor central portion and a plurality of stages of rotor blade portions extending from the rotor central portion and having a predetermined elevation angle, and a casing that houses the rotor therein. The rotor further includes a rotor fin. The rotor fin includes a fin shaft portion connected to an end of the rotor central portion, and a transfer blade that extends from the fin shaft portion and causes particles to bounce back in a direction toward an outer periphery of the rotor, the particles falling onto the abovementioned end through an inlet port. The height of the transfer blade and the number of transfer blades are set based on the fall velocity of the particles and the rotation speed of the rotor, such that the particles are prevented from falling onto the abovementioned end without colliding with the transfer blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Edwards Japan Limited
    Inventors: Manabu Nonaka, Toshiki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11401823
    Abstract: An aviation turbine engine having at least one unducted rotary propeller having a plurality of blades, each blade including: a blade body made of composite material including fiber reinforcement densified by a matrix, the fiber reinforcement of the blade body presenting three-dimensional weaving, the body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, and a protective fitting for protecting the leading edge and made of composite material having fiber reinforcement densified by a matrix, the fitting being adhesively bonded onto the leading edge of the blade body, the fitting being formed from a dry fiber preform injection molded with a densifying resin, and a polyurethane film for providing protection against erosion covering the blade body and the fitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
    Inventors: Adrien Jacques Philippe Fabre, Vivien Mickaël Courtier, Adrien Louis Nicolas Laurenceau, Dominique Gerhadt Mayhew
  • Patent number: 11401834
    Abstract: A method for attaching a first component composed of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) to a second component composed of a metallic substructure is provided. The first component comprises at least two slots formed within a body of the first component and a configured to accommodate a thickness of a continuous CMC strap. The ends of the CMC strap are inserted into respective slots in the first component and then inserted into corresponding slots in a second component. The ends are secured to the second component by a fastening means thus securing the first component to the second component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Allister William James, Jan H. Marsh
  • Patent number: 11401830
    Abstract: A blade outer air seal for a gas turbine engine includes a platform having a leading edge and a trailing edge, and at least one cooling cavity disposed within the platform. A pair of circumferential edges connects the leading edge and the trailing edge. An end wall protrudes radially outward from the platform at the trailing edge. A support hook protrudes radially outward from a leading edge of the platform. A boss structure protrudes radially outward from the platform and defining a solid kinetic energy path from an inner diameter of the platform to a radially outward facing surface of the boss structure, wherein the boss structure extends less than a circumferential length of the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Christina G Ciamarra