Patents by Inventor Douglas Kevin Ethridge

Douglas Kevin Ethridge 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).

  • Core plate repair using guide tube gap wedges
    Patent number: 5838751
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for repairing a core plate having a cracked support structure. The method entails the step of providing a vertical compression load path between the core plate and one or more control rod guide tubes. This is accomplished by installing a plurality of load-bearing wedges between the core plate and the step of each guide tube. Each load-bearing wedge is placed between the core plate and the guide tube machined step so that core plate pressure loads are reacted by the weight of the fuel rather than the core plate support structure. The load-bearing wedges can be installed without removing the guide tube or the fuel support casting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lee Thompson, Douglas Kevin Ethridge, John Geddes Erbes, Martin Daniel Kaylor