Patents by Inventor David B. Knable

David B. Knable 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).

  • Turbulator configuration for cooling passages of an airfoil in a gas turbine engine
    Patent number: 5738493
    Abstract: A turbulator configuration formed on an inner surface of at least one wall of a cooling passage for a rotor blade in a gas turbine engine is disclosed, where the cooling passage has an upstream end, a downstream end, and a longitudinal axis therethrough. The turbulator configuration includes a first set of longitudinally spaced turbulators having a specified height and length for tripping a thermal boundary layer along the cooling passage wall to enhance heat transfer between the coolant and the wall, as well as a second set of longitudinally spaced turbulators having a specified height and length for generating turbulence in a core flow region of the cooling passage to reduce the thickness of the thermal boundary layer downstream therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, David B. Knable