Patents by Inventor Eric A. Grover

Eric A. Grover 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: 20200217216
    Abstract: A hydrostatic seal configured to be disposed between relatively rotatable components. The seal includes a base. The seal also includes a seal housing. The seal further includes a shoe operatively coupled to the base and extending axially from a forward end to an aft end. The seal yet further includes a plurality of teeth extending radially from a sealing surface of the shoe, one of the teeth being a longest tooth that extends furthest radially from the sealing surface, the axial distance from the forward end of the shoe to the longest tooth being greater than a radial distance from a radial tooth tip to the sealing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Eric A. Grover, Brian F. Hilbert, Nathan L. Messersmith, Christopher W. Robak
  • Publication number: 20200024984
    Abstract: An airfoil array may include an endwall, and a plurality of airfoils radially projecting from the endwall. Each airfoil may have a first side and an opposite second side extending axially in chord between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoils may be circumferentially spaced apart on the endwall thereby defining a plurality of flow passages between adjacent airfoils. The airfoil array may further include a convex profiled region extending from the endwall adjacent to the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils near the leading edge of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils, and a concave profiled region in the endwall and extending across said at least one of said plurality of flow passages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Andrew S. Aggarwala, Timothy Charles Nash, Eunice Allen-Bradley, Eric A. Grover
  • Patent number: 10519796
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to a variable area turbine vane row assembly. In an embodiment, the variable area turbine vane row assembly includes rotatable vanes that are circumferentially biased and/or axially biased with respect to adjacent fixed vanes. In another embodiment, the variable area turbine vane row assembly includes multiple rotatable vanes positioned between adjacent fixed vanes, which may optionally be circumferentially biased and/or axially biased with respect to each other as well as to the adjacent fixed vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eric A. Grover
  • Patent number: 10385728
    Abstract: A turbine stator vane assembly for a gas turbine engine is disclosed and includes an airfoil rotatable about an axis transverse to an engine longitudinal axis. The airfoil includes outer walls defining an inner chamber between a pressure side and a suction side of the airfoil. At least one spindle supports rotation of the airfoil and includes a feed opening for communicating cooling air into the inner chamber. An inlet defines a passage between the feed opening and the inner chamber and includes a protrusion of the outer wall on at least one of the pressure side and suction side of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas N. Slavens, Eric A. Grover, John D. Teixeira
  • Publication number: 20190078450
    Abstract: An inlet guide vane having varied trailing edge geometry is provided. The inlet guide vane may have an inner diameter edge opposite an outer diameter edge, and may comprise a leading edge part and a trailing edge part. The trailing edge part may comprise a trailing edge length defining a length between a forward edge and an aft edge. The trailing edge length may vary in length. The trailing edge part may be displaced from the leading edge part at a stagger angle. The stagger angle may vary in displacement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Applicant: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James A. Eley, Eric A. Grover, Thomas J. Praisner
  • Publication number: 20180371929
    Abstract: A bearing assembly according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a bearing situated in a bearing compartment, a seal assembly that defines the bearing compartment, at least one deflector between the bearing and the seal assembly that is rotatable about an axis, and a coalescer at least partially extending about the at least one deflector to define a fluid passage. A method of sealing is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2017
    Publication date: December 27, 2018
    Inventors: Armando Amador, Nasr A. Shuaib, Martin J. Walsh, William G. Sheridan, Eric A. Grover
  • Patent number: 9976433
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a gas turbine engine includes a platform section between a root section and an airfoil section, the platform section having a non-axisymmetric surface contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Praisner, Eric A. Grover
  • Patent number: 9957801
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine comprises a radially extending body having a transverse cross-section. The transverse cross-section comprises a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side and a suction side. The pressure side extends between the leading edge and the trailing edge with a predominantly concave curvature. The suction side extends between the leading edge and the trailing edge with a predominantly convex curvature. The suction side includes an approximately flat portion flanked by forward and aft convex portions. In another embodiment, the suction side includes a series of local curvature changes that produce inflection points in the convex curvature of the suction side spaced from the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew S. Aggarwala, Eunice Allen-Bradley, Eric A. Grover, Ricardo Trindade
  • Patent number: 9951638
    Abstract: A shaped rim cavity wing includes an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface has a geometric shape to control the separation of airflow as it passes around the lower surface to the top surface. A point of maximum extent defines the boundary between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the point of maximum extent defines a corner that that separates airflow from the shaped rim cavity rim and creates a flow re-circulation adjacent to the top surface of the shaped rim cavity wing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Eric A. Grover
  • Patent number: 9926806
    Abstract: A turbomachine includes an annular flow path section between a plurality of radially extending stator vanes and a plurality of radially extending rotor blades. At least a first portion of the flow path section has a circumferentially varying outer periphery which includes a recess circumferentially alternating with axisymmetric surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Praisner, Eric A. Grover, Renee J. Jurek
  • Publication number: 20170335712
    Abstract: Airfoils are provided having a body having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first end surface, and a second end surface opposite the first end surface, wherein (i) a first true chord length is a line extending from a first leading edge point to a first trailing edge point and (ii) a second true chord length is a line extending from a second leading edge point to a second trailing edge point, a first button located on the first end surface of the airfoil body, the first button having a first diameter and a first attachment device extending from the first button to enable rotation of the airfoil body about an attachment device axis. The first diameter is at least 15% of the first true chord length or the attachment device axis is located 10% of the first true chord length from the leading edge point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventors: Pitchaiah Vijay Chakka, Eric A. Grover, John D. Teixeira
  • Publication number: 20160290158
    Abstract: A turbine stator vane assembly for a gas turbine engine is disclosed and includes an airfoil rotatable about an axis transverse to an engine longitudinal axis. The airfoil includes outer walls defining an inner chamber between a pressure side and a suction side of the airfoil. At least one spindle supports rotation of the airfoil and includes a feed opening for communicating cooling air into the inner chamber. An inlet defines a passage between the feed opening and the inner chamber and includes a protrusion of the outer wall on at least one of the pressure side and suction side of the airfoil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2014
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Applicant: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas N. Slavens, Eric A. Grover, John D. Teixeira
  • Publication number: 20160237845
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine component includes an outer diameter endwall, an inner diameter endwall spaced radially inward of the outer diameter endwall, and at least one body supported between the outer and inner endwalls for rotation about an axis. The body includes an outer diameter surface spaced from the outer diameter endwall by a first gap and an inner diameter surface spaced from the inner diameter endwall by a second gap. The outer and inner diameter surfaces and the outer and inner diameter endwalls are configured such that the first and second gaps remain generally constant in size as the body rotates about the axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: John D. Teixeira, Eric A. Grover, Raymond Surace
  • Publication number: 20160230584
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to a variable area turbine vane row assembly. In an embodiment, the variable area turbine vane row assembly includes rotatable vanes that are circumferentially biased and/or axially biased with respect to adjacent fixed vanes. In another embodiment, the variable area turbine vane row assembly includes multiple rotatable vanes positioned between adjacent fixed vanes, which may optionally be circumferentially biased and/or axially biased with respect to each other as well as to the adjacent fixed vanes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Applicant: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Eric A. Grover
  • Publication number: 20160208643
    Abstract: A turbomachine includes an annular flow path section between a plurality of radially extending stator vanes and a plurality of radially extending rotor blades. At least a first portion of the flow path section has a circumferentially varying outer periphery which includes a recess circumferentially alternating with axisymmetric surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Thomas J. Praisner, Eric A. Grover, Renee J. Jurek
  • Patent number: 9382807
    Abstract: Turbomachinery, such as a gas turbine engine, has parts with opposed first and second surfaces and with a cavity between the surfaces and with the first surface moving relative to the second surface. The turbomachinery further has at least one feature for creating pressure variations incorporated into the first and second surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Eric A. Grover, Thomas J. Praisner, Joel H. Wagner
  • Publication number: 20160010476
    Abstract: A shaped rim cavity wing includes an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface has a geometric shape to control the separation of airflow as it passes around the lower surface to the top surface. A point of maximum extent defines the boundary between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the point of maximum extent defines a corner that that separates airflow from the shaped rim cavity rim and creates a flow re-circulation adjacent to the top surface of the shaped rim cavity wing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventor: Eric A. Grover
  • Patent number: 9212558
    Abstract: An airfoil array is disclosed. The airfoil array may include an endwall, and a plurality of airfoils radially projecting from the endwall. Each airfoil may have a first side and an opposite second side extending axially in chord between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil array may further include a convex profiled region extending from the endwall adjacent the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils and near the leading edge of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils. The airfoil array may further include a concave profiled region in the endwall adjacent the first side of said at least one of said plurality of airfoils and aft of the convex profiled region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas J. Praisner, Andrew S. Aggarwala, Eric A. Grover, Renee J. Jurek
  • Patent number: 9181815
    Abstract: A shaped rim cavity wing includes an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface has a geometric shape to control the separation of airflow as it passes around the lower surface to the top surface. A point of maximum extent defines the boundary between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the point of maximum extent defines a corner that that separates airflow from the shaped rim cavity rim and creates a flow re-circulation adjacent to the top surface of the shaped rim cavity wing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Eric A. Grover
  • Patent number: 9140128
    Abstract: An airfoil array is disclosed. The airfoil array may include an endwall, and a plurality of airfoils radially projecting from the endwall. Each airfoil may have a first side and an opposite second side extending axially in chord between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoils may be circumferentially spaced apart on the endwall thereby defining a plurality of flow passages between adjacent airfoils. The airfoil array may further include a convex profiled region extending from the endwall near the leading edge of at least one of said plurality of airfoils, and a concave profiled region in the endwall near a middle of at least one of said plurality of flow passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: United Technologes Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew S. Aggarwala, Eric A. Grover