Patents by Inventor Christopher NEALE

Christopher NEALE 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).

  • Publication number: 20250027419
    Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a component of a gas turbine engine, comprising: providing a precursor component having at least one internal cooling passage configured to receive a flow of cooling air therethrough; estimating a predicted temperature profile for the component based on one or more operating parameters of the gas turbine engine, the predicted temperature profile indicating a predicted operating temperature of at least one gas-washed surface of the component; determining a thermal barrier coating (TBC) configuration for the component based on the predicted temperature profile, comprising setting a TBC thickness to be below a threshold thickness in a region of the at least one gas-washed surface of the component based on the predicted operating temperature of the at least one gas-washed surface of the component exceeding a threshold temperature; and applying a TBC to the precursor component according to the TBC configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2024
    Publication date: January 23, 2025
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: James R. KINGSLEY-ROWE, Christopher NEALE, Stefan J. WAGNER
  • Publication number: 20250012194
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine component that has a web provided with an array of cooling holes distributed with respect to a first direction, wherein the cooling holes have a cross-sectional shape that varies along the first direction. The component may be configured so that the first direction corresponds to a loading distribution of the component which increases along the first direction from a low loading position to a high loading position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2024
    Publication date: January 9, 2025
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Christopher NEALE, James R. KINGSLEY-ROWE
  • Publication number: 20240139892
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a turbomachinery component for a gas turbine engine, comprising: receiving an ideal design of the turbomachinery component, the turbomachinery component comprising: an aerofoil portion comprising an aerofoil surface and having an ideal aerofoil wall thickness; and a platform portion comprising a platform surface coterminous with the aerofoil surface, the platform portion having an ideal radial platform thickness along a radial direction; determining an intermediate design of the turbomachinery component comprising an intermediate platform portion having an intermediate platform surface and an intermediate radial platform thickness which is greater than the ideal radial platform thickness; forming, by an investment casting process, an intermediate turbomachinery component based on the intermediate design, wherein the intermediate turbomachinery component comprises at least one detectable reference feature formed by an internal core element during the in
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Christopher NEALE
  • Publication number: 20170136525
    Abstract: Method for casting a turbine component body including; providing a mould defining the external geometry of the component body and providing a core defining an internal geometry of the component body. The core includes a main body defining an internal chamber of the component body and an array of pedestals extending between opposing walls of the internal chamber. A molten material is cast between the mould and the core and the core is then removed after the molten material has solidified. The core is provided using a core die which has an inlet for receiving fluid core material. The core die is configured such as to provide a gradient of injection pressure which decreases from a first position proximal to the inlet to a second position distal to the inlet. The pedestal array is arranged such that the separation of the pedestals increases between the first and second positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Christopher NEALE
  • Publication number: 20160341049
    Abstract: A method for casting a turbine blade body comprises; providing a mould defining the external geometry of the blade body; providing a core defining an internal geometry of the blade body, the core comprising a main body defining an internal chamber of the blade body and having a root end and a tip end and a plurality of pedestals defining an array of cooling channels extending from the internal chamber; casting a molten material between the mould and the core; and removing the core after the molten material has solidified, wherein the pedestals are arranged in a single row starting from the root end to a mid-portion of the main body branching into multiple and divergent rows towards the tip end of the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Christopher NEALE, Marta VILLASANTE LLARENA
  • Publication number: 20160067769
    Abstract: Investment casting of engine part defined during casting by pair of core members having respective opposed faces, major portions of opposed faces being spaced apart by first distance corresponding to predetermined thickness of a portion of resulting cast wall, face of each opposing core member which face each other being provided with respective open recesses, each protrusion on first core member facing a respective one of second core member, wherein during part of casting procedure first and second core members are maintained positioned relative to each other so major portions of the opposed faces of first and second core members assume mutual spacing equaling corresponding predetermined thickness of portion of resulting cast wall; and at least head portion of protrusion on first core member is located within respective open recess in second core member, such that respective protrusion and respective open recess define respective minor portion of resulting cast wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Paul J WILSON, Christopher NEALE, Andrew S BARR