Patents by Inventor Douglas Duane Ward
Douglas Duane Ward 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).
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Patent number: 11814174Abstract: An aircraft defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction is provided. The aircraft includes: a fuselage; an engine mounted at a location spaced from the fuselage of the aircraft, the engine comprising a plurality of rotor blades; and a fuselage shield attached to or formed integrally with the fuselage at a location in alignment with the plurality of rotor blades along the lateral direction, the fuselage shield comprising a first layer defining a first density and a second layer defining a second density, the first density being different than the second density.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2020Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Patent number: 11286782Abstract: An airfoil that includes an airfoil body having a root and a tip, and convex and concave sides that extend between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil also includes at least a first cladding element that is attached to the airfoil body. The first cladding element includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is configured to separate from the first portion when the first cladding element encounters a force of at least a predetermined amount.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2018Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Douglas Duane Ward, David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray
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Publication number: 20210339846Abstract: An aircraft defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction is provided. The aircraft includes a fuselage; an engine mounted at a location spaced from the fuselage of the aircraft, the engine comprising rotor blades; and at least one fuselage shield removably coupled to the fuselage at a location in alignment with the rotor blades along the lateral direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Publication number: 20210339867Abstract: An aircraft defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction is provided. The aircraft includes: a fuselage; an engine mounted at a location spaced from the fuselage of the aircraft, the engine comprising a plurality of rotor blades; and a fuselage shield attached to or formed integrally with the fuselage at a location in alignment with the plurality of rotor blades along the lateral direction, the fuselage shield comprising a first layer defining a first density and a second layer defining a second density, the first density being different than the second density.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2020Publication date: November 4, 2021Inventors: David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Publication number: 20210221491Abstract: In an aspect of the present disclosure, an aircraft defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction is provided. The aircraft includes: a fuselage; a single unducted rotor engine mounted at a location spaced from the fuselage of the aircraft, the single unducted rotor engine comprising an unducted rotor assembly having a single stage of rotor blades; and a fuselage shield attached to or formed integrally with the fuselage at a location in alignment with the single stage of rotor blades of the unducted rotor assembly along the lateral direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2020Publication date: July 22, 2021Inventors: David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Brandon Wayne Miller
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Patent number: 11015461Abstract: Composite hollow blade and an associated method of forming the composite hollow blade are disclosed. The method includes forming a core by fabricating a grid core structure based on a plurality of design parameters, where the grid core includes a plurality of first reinforcing components disposed in a first curable matrix material. The method further includes forming an outer layer including a plurality of second reinforcing components disposed in a second curable matrix material. Further, the method includes coupling the core to the outer layer and curing the core and the outer layer to form the composite hollow blade.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2017Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Viswanadha Gupta Sakala, Douglas Duane Ward, Ming Xie
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Patent number: 10815804Abstract: A containment assembly for use in a turbine engine includes a fan case formed from a composite material. The fan case includes a forward end, an aft end, and an opening defined through the fan case between the forward and aft ends. The containment assembly further includes a structural attachment member formed from a metallic material and coupled to the fan case. The structural attachment member is positioned within the opening in the fan case and is configured to receive at least one fastener to couple a component to the structural attachment member.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2017Date of Patent: October 27, 2020Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Viswanadha Gupta Sakala, Mitchell Harold Boyer, Ming Xie, Douglas Duane Ward
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Patent number: 10815798Abstract: A blade for the fan section of a turbine engine comprising a composite core defining a pressure side and a suction side extending axially between a core leading edge and a core trailing edge defining a chord-wise direction and extending radially between a core root and a core tip defining a span-wise direction and a leading edge strip made of materials with different elasticity and mounted to the core leading edge.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2018Date of Patent: October 27, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Douglas Duane Ward, David William Crall
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Patent number: 10697470Abstract: A containment case includes a fan assembly including a hub having a plurality of fan blades extending radially outward between radially inward blade roots and radially outward blade tips. Containment case includes a radially outer shell circumscribing fan assembly and having a first radially inner surface and a radially outer surface, an inner structure having a second radially inner surface extending along first radially inner surface, and a trench extending circumferentially along second radially inner surface into inner structure from second radially inner surface. The trench is approximately axially aligned with the fan assembly. The containment case also includes, within the trench, a trench filler layer configured to dissipate impact energy from a released fan blade and having a plurality of sheets including a fibrous composite material having a plurality of fibers fabricated within each sheet, where the sheets are coupled together into a repeating pattern of hollow units.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2016Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward
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Publication number: 20200182062Abstract: An airfoil that includes an airfoil body having a root and a tip, and convex and concave sides that extend between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil also includes at least a first cladding element that is attached to the airfoil body. The first cladding element includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is configured to separate from the first portion when the first cladding element encounters a force of at least a predetermined amount.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2018Publication date: June 11, 2020Inventors: Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Douglas Duane Ward, David William Crall, Nicholas Joseph Kray
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Patent number: 10589475Abstract: A gas turbine engine composite article having a composite article airfoil extending outwardly to an article root to an article airfoil tip. Within the article airfoil is a core including a core airfoil attached to a core root including a core dovetail. A continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows are braided on the core and the braided layer covers the entire core airfoil and the core root. The core may be an inflatable mandrel or a composite core made of a composite material. The core may include stiffeners such as an I beam or hollow rectangular cross-section box beams. A method for making such an article includes braiding a continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows on the core including covering the entire core airfoil and the core root with the continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2015Date of Patent: March 17, 2020Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Xiaomei Fang, Christopher Madsen, Ian Francis Prentice, Sultan Shair, Dong-Jin Shim, Douglas Duane Ward
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Publication number: 20190368361Abstract: Fan blade includes airfoil with leading and trailing edges, pressure and suction sides extending outwardly from airfoil base to airfoil tip, and tip cladding with non-symmetric pressure and suction side cladding flanks bonded to airfoil tip along pressure and suction sides respectively. Pressure and suction side cladding flanks may include non-symmetric or different pressure and suction side cladding radial heights and/or different pressure and suction side cladding radial locations of pressure and suction side cladding flank portions of pressure and suction side cladding flanks in tip cladding portion of tip cladding. One cladding radial heights may be variable in tip cladding portion. Chordwise extending seam may be in pressure side cladding flank portion and/or chordwise extending slot may be in suction side cladding flank portion. Cladding flanks may be stronger, more ductile, or less brittle than composite material of composite core of airfoil.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2018Publication date: December 5, 2019Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, David William Crall, Wendy Wen-Ling Lin
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Publication number: 20190242260Abstract: A blade for the fan section of a turbine engine comprising a composite core defining a pressure side and a suction side extending axially between a core leading edge and a core trailing edge defining a chord-wise direction and extending radially between a core root and a core tip defining a span-wise direction and a leading edge strip mounted to the core leading edge.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2018Publication date: August 8, 2019Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Douglas Duane Ward, David William Crall
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Publication number: 20190242399Abstract: A blade for a turbine engine comprising a composite core defining a pressure side and a suction side extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge defining a chord-wise direction and extending radially between a root and a tip defining a span-wise direction. The composite core is formed from two materials with different compositions.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2018Publication date: August 8, 2019Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Douglas Duane Ward, David William Crall, Wendy Wen-Ling Lin
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Publication number: 20190195073Abstract: Composite hollow blade and an associated method of forming the composite hollow blade are disclosed. The method includes forming a core by fabricating a grid core structure based on a plurality of design parameters, where the grid core includes a plurality of first reinforcing components disposed in a first curable matrix material. The method further includes forming an outer layer including a plurality of second reinforcing components disposed in a second curable matrix material. Further, the method includes coupling the core to the outer layer and curing the core and the outer layer to form the composite hollow blade.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2017Publication date: June 27, 2019Inventors: Viswanadha Gupta Sakala, Douglas Duane Ward, Ming Xie
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Publication number: 20180283397Abstract: A containment assembly for use in a turbine engine includes a fan case formed from a composite material. The fan case includes a forward end, an aft end, and an opening defined through the fan case between the forward and aft ends. The containment assembly further includes a structural attachment member formed from a metallic material and coupled to the fan case. The structural attachment member is positioned within the opening in the fan case and is configured to receive at least one fastener to couple a component to the structural attachment member.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2017Publication date: October 4, 2018Inventors: Viswanadha Gupta Sakala, Mitchell Harold Boyer, Ming Xie, Douglas Duane Ward
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Patent number: 10041354Abstract: A method of manufacturing a rotor blade is provided. The method includes forming a preform from a plurality of composite plies, the preform including an airfoil portion and a dovetail portion, removing a cutout portion from the dovetail portion of the preform to define a cutout in the preform, wherein the removing the cutout portion facilitates reducing residual stresses in the preform, and inserting an insert into the cutout formed by the removal of the cutout portion.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2011Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward, Phillip Wayne Rambo, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt
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Publication number: 20170348876Abstract: A method of fabricating a laminar composite article, includes steps of spreading a plurality of continuous fiber tows from a spool to form a first ply layer having a substantially consistent layer thickness, applying a binder to the spread plurality of continuous fiber tows, curing the plurality of continuous fiber tows and applied binder at a cure temperature less than a thermal decomposition temperature of the binder, and processing the cured plurality of continuous fiber tows at a post-cure temperature greater than the cure temperature.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2016Publication date: December 7, 2017Inventors: Wendy Wen-Ling Lin, Douglas Duane Ward, James Dale Steibel
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Publication number: 20170234329Abstract: A containment case includes a fan assembly including a hub having a plurality of fan blades extending radially outward between radially inward blade roots and radially outward blade tips. Containment case includes a radially outer shell circumscribing fan assembly and having a first radially inner surface and a radially outer surface, an inner structure having a second radially inner surface extending along first radially inner surface, and a trench extending circumferentially along second radially inner surface into inner structure from second radially inner surface. The trench is approximately axially aligned with the fan assembly. The containment case also includes, within the trench, a trench filler layer configured to dissipate impact energy from a released fan blade and having a plurality of sheets including a fibrous composite material having a plurality of fibers fabricated within each sheet, where the sheets are coupled together into a repeating pattern of hollow units.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2016Publication date: August 17, 2017Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Duane Ward
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Publication number: 20160201478Abstract: A gas turbine engine composite article having a composite article airfoil extending outwardly to an article root to an article airfoil tip. Within the article airfoil is a core including a core airfoil attached to a core root including a core dovetail. A continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows are braided on the core and the braided layer covers the entire core airfoil and the core root. The core may be an inflatable mandrel or a composite core made of a composite material. The core may include stiffeners such as an I beam or hollow rectangular cross-section box beams. A method for making such an article includes braiding a continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows on the core including covering the entire core airfoil and the core root with the continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 21, 2015Publication date: July 14, 2016Inventors: Nicholas Joseph KRAY, Xiaomei FANG, Christopher MADSEN, Ian Francis PRENTICE, Sultan SHAIR, Dong-Jin SHIM, Douglas Duane WARD