Patents by Inventor Andrew Grafitti

Andrew Grafitti 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).

  • Damping inserts and methods for shrouded turbine blades
    Patent number: 10648347
    Abstract: A rotor assembly includes plural blades and damping inserts. The blades include a carrier shroud and a lid shroud extending from an airfoil of the respective blade in generally opposite directions. The carrier shrouds define pockets at distal ends thereof. The damping inserts are disposed in the pockets of the carrier shrouds of the blades and free-floating within the pockets. The damping inserts are configured to dampen vibrations of the blades during rotation of the blades and the rotor disk via engaging an interior surface within the corresponding pocket of the carrier shroud and engaging a distal end of the lid shroud of the neighboring blade. A contact force applied by each damping insert on the distal end of the lid shroud of the neighboring blade is based on a rotational speed of the blades and the rotor disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Suryarghya Chakrabarti, Brian Potter, Andrew Grafitti, James Tyson Balkcum, III
  • DAMPING INSERTS AND METHODS FOR SHROUDED TURBINE BLADES
    Publication number: 20180230818
    Abstract: A rotor assembly includes plural blades and damping inserts. The blades include a carrier shroud and a lid shroud extending from an airfoil of the respective blade in generally opposite directions. The carrier shrouds define pockets at distal ends thereof. The damping inserts are disposed in the pockets of the carrier shrouds of the blades and free-floating within the pockets. The damping inserts are configured to dampen vibrations of the blades during rotation of the blades and the rotor disk via engaging an interior surface within the corresponding pocket of the carrier shroud and engaging a distal end of the lid shroud of the neighboring blade. A contact force applied by each damping insert on the distal end of the lid shroud of the neighboring blade is based on a rotational speed of the blades and the rotor disk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Suryarghya Chakrabarti, Brian Potter, Andrew Grafitti, James Tyson Balkcum, III