Patents by Inventor Alvin H. Nakagawa

Alvin H. Nakagawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5164957
    Abstract: In a laser beam processing of the side surfaces of gear teeth, a rotatable disk is inserted in the recess between the teeth to reflect and redirect laser beam energy toward one surface while protecting the surface of an adjacent gear tooth. The rotatable disk is relatively thin and accordingly is cooled by means of liquid and/or gas jets. During the laser beam operation on the surfaces of the gear teeth, the laser beam, as well as the rotating disk, are translated across the face of the gear tooth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Alvin H. Nakagawa, Richard L. Frohlich
  • Patent number: 5141203
    Abstract: A snubber arrangement which connects to a composite hollow beam structure without requiring the penetration of the composite material. The snubber includes an attachment assembly having first and second metallic outer layer bonded to an inner layer of composite material, with one of the outer layers being in intimate bonded contact with a surface of the composite hollow beam. A threaded insert in the attachment assembly receives a bolt around which a multipart spool is located. The hollow beam is mounted on a support structure and the spool has upper and lower flange portions which are located on either side of an aperture within the support structure such that the spool is maintained in position to limit excessive movement of the composite structure to which the snubber is attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1992
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Jennifer A. Baker, Alvin H. Nakagawa, Christy L. Kirchner
  • Patent number: 5043217
    Abstract: A composite to metal joint (10) for torsional shafts is disclosed that will not fail in simple shear and can be manufactured without slipping, bridging, or kinking of the filament using a filament winding machine. The composite to metal joint includes a filament composite (16) formed by winding the filament with the filament winding machine around a metal mandrel (12). The mandrel (12) has an outer surface (14) upon which said filament composite (16) is formed with a cross sectional shape that is asymmetrical about an axis of rotation (24). Also, the outer surface (14) presents a positive angle of incidence to said filament when said filament winding machine winds hoop plies and angle plies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Stanley T. Peters, Alvin H. Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 5032752
    Abstract: A material which exhibits different electrical resistivity in mutually perpendicular directions is formed by providing a base member of one metal and covering a surface of the base member with a second metal of a different composition. Thereafter, multiple passes are made with a high energy beam over the surface of the second metal to form a plurality of alloyed zones in the base metal with the resistivity of the alloyed zones being different than that of the adjacent base metal.A rotor for a dynamoelectric machine fabricated by such methods imparts a preferred direction to current flow to thereby eliminate large undesirable eddy currents and by tailoring the pattern of the higher resistivity zones, a machine may be provided which produces a self-compensating flux to minimize undesirable flux leakage common in such machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1991
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Bobby D. McKee, Alvin H. Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 4940878
    Abstract: A material which exhibits different electrical resistivity in mutually perpendicular directions is formed by providing a base member of one metal and covering a surface of the base member with a second metal of a different composition. Thereafter, multiple passes are made with a high energy beam over the surface of the second metal to form a plurality of alloyed zones in the base metal with the resistivity of the alloyed zones being different than that of the adjacent base metal.A rotor for a dynamoelectric machine fabricated by such methods imparts a preferred direction to current flow to thereby eliminate large undesirable eddy currents and by tailoring the pattern of the higher resistivity zones, a machine may be provided which produces a self-compensating flux to minimize undesirable flux leakage common in such machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 10, 1990
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Bobby D. McKee, Alvin H. Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 4922163
    Abstract: A current collecting brush box assembly for a homopolar generator wherein the assembly includes a high electrical and thermal conductivity, low weight controlled porosity metallic foam for heat transfer and current conduction purposes as well as for direct contact with the rotor of the homopolar generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Bobby D. McKee, Alvin H. Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 4613385
    Abstract: A high strength, high ductility, low carbon, dual phase steel wire, bar or rod and process for making the same is provided. The steel wire, bar or rod is produced by cold drawing to the desired diameter in a single multipass operation a low carbon steel composition characterized by a duplex microstructure consisting essentially of a strong second phase dispersed in a soft ferrite matrix with a microstructure and morphology having sufficient cold formability to allow reductions in cross-sectional area of up to about 99.9%. Tensile strengths of at least 120 ksi to over 400 ksi may be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1986
    Assignee: Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Gareth Thomas, Alvin H. Nakagawa