Patents by Inventor Eric Morgan Jacobsen
Eric Morgan Jacobsen 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).
-
Patent number: 9523348Abstract: The invention is directed to a rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine designed to mitigate pitch bearing loads. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade, a pitch bearing, and at least one shim plate. The rotor blade includes a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip. The pitch bearing includes an outer race, an inner race, and a plurality of roller elements between the outer race and the inner race. As such, the inner race is rotatable relative to the outer race. The at least one shim plate may be configured between the inner race and the blade root or between the outer race and a hub of the wind turbine so as to mitigate loads experienced by the pitch bearing.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2013Date of Patent: December 20, 2016Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Adam Daniel Minadeo, Alexander William Vossler
-
Patent number: 9458821Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine has a rotor blade. A strip-member blade accessory is mounted to one of the rotor blade surfaces that stretches under normal operating conditions of the wind turbine. The blade accessory has a base portion. An attachment layer connects the base portion to the rotor blade surface and has a lower shear modulus than the base portion to allow for shear slippage between the base portion and the underlying rotor blade surface.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2012Date of Patent: October 4, 2016Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Bruce Clark Busbey, Qi Zhu, Scott Gabell Riddell, Juergen Esser, Jan Willem Bakhuis, Pradeepa Nagabhushana
-
Patent number: 9261074Abstract: A rotor blade for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade may include a body extending lengthwise between a blade root and a blade tip. The body may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. In addition, the rotor blade may include a plurality of bolts extending from the blade root. A bolt parameter of the bolts may be varied for at least two of the bolts based on the loads transmitted through the blade root.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2012Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Eric Morgan Jacobsen
-
Patent number: 9109578Abstract: A root extender for coupling a rotor blade to a hub of a wind turbine is disclosed. The root extender may generally include a body defining a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end. The first end may define a first planar surface configured to be positioned adjacent to the hub and the second end may define a second planar surface configured to be positioned adjacent to the rotor blade. The second planar surface may be oriented at a cone angle relative to the first planar surface. In addition, the longitudinal axis may be oriented at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the first planar surface.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2012Date of Patent: August 18, 2015Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Bart Jan Veldkamp
-
Publication number: 20150086359Abstract: The invention is directed to a rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine designed to mitigate pitch bearing loads. The rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade, a pitch bearing, and at least one shim plate. The rotor blade includes a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip. The pitch bearing includes an outer race, an inner race, and a plurality of roller elements between the outer race and the inner race. As such, the inner race is rotatable relative to the outer race. The at least one shim plate may be configured between the inner race and the blade root or between the outer race and a hub of the wind turbine so as to mitigate loads experienced by the pitch bearing.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2013Publication date: March 26, 2015Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Adam Daniel Minadeo, Alexander William Vossler
-
Publication number: 20140140850Abstract: A rotor blade for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade may include a body extending lengthwise between a blade root and a blade tip. The body may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. In addition, the rotor blade may include a plurality of bolts extending from the blade root. A bolt parameter of the bolts may be varied for at least two of the bolts based on the loads transmitted through the blade root.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2012Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventor: Eric Morgan Jacobsen
-
Patent number: 8714928Abstract: A rotor assembly is provided that includes a hub rotatable about an axis of rotation. The assembly also includes a plurality of rotor blades spaced circumferentially about the hub. Each of said rotor blades extends from a blade root to a blade tip such that said plurality of blades are rotatable through a plane of rotation extending about said axis of rotation, said plane of rotation is defined as substantially perpendicular to said axis of rotation, wherein each of said blade roots is coupled to said hub, wherein each of said blade tips is offset a distance upstream from said plane of rotation.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2008Date of Patent: May 6, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Florian Doorenspleet
-
Publication number: 20140072440Abstract: A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine has a rotor blade. A strip-member blade accessory is mounted to one of the rotor blade surfaces that stretches under normal operating conditions of the wind turbine. The blade accessory has a base portion. An attachment layer connects the base portion to the rotor blade surface and has a lower shear modulus than the base portion to allow for shear slippage between the base portion and the underlying rotor blade surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2012Publication date: March 13, 2014Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Bruce Clark Busbey, Qi Zhu, Scott Gabell Riddell, Juergen Esser, Jan Willem Bakhuis, Pradeepa Nagabhushana
-
Publication number: 20130330194Abstract: A root extender for coupling a rotor blade to a hub of a wind turbine is disclosed. The root extender may generally include a body defining a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end. The first end may define a first planar surface configured to be positioned adjacent to the hub and the second end may define a second planar surface configured to be positioned adjacent to the rotor blade. The second planar surface may be oriented at a cone angle relative to the first planar surface. In addition, the longitudinal axis may be oriented at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the first planar surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2012Publication date: December 12, 2013Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Bart Jan Veldkamp
-
Patent number: 8025485Abstract: A wind turbine includes a plurality of turbine blades, with each of the blades having a root flange that attaches to a flange of a rotor hub by a plurality of circumferentially spaced blade bolts. The blade bolts have opposite cylindrical end sections engaged within the rotor hub flange and blade root flange, respectively, and a non-cylindrical shank extending between the cylindrical end sections. At least one flattened side is defined in the shank along a longitudinal axis of the bolt.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2010Date of Patent: September 27, 2011Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Eric Morgan Jacobsen
-
Publication number: 20110142657Abstract: A wind turbine includes a plurality of turbine blades, with each of the blades having a root flange that attaches to a flange of a rotor hub by a plurality of circumferentially spaced blade bolts. The blade bolts have opposite cylindrical end sections engaged within the rotor hub flange and blade root flange, respectively, and a non-cylindrical shank extending between the cylindrical end sections. At least one flattened side is defined in the shank along a longitudinal axis of the bolt.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2010Publication date: June 16, 2011Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYInventor: Eric Morgan Jacobsen
-
Patent number: 7802968Abstract: A blade includes a plurality of first fibers, wherein each of the plurality of first fibers is angled between about 5° and about 35° with respect to a pitch axis of the blade, and a plurality of second fibers, wherein each of the plurality of second fibers is angled between about 95° and about 125° with respect to the pitch axis of the blade.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2005Date of Patent: September 28, 2010Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Eric Morgan Jacobsen
-
Publication number: 20090304513Abstract: A rotor assembly is provided that includes a hub rotatable about an axis of rotation. The assembly also includes a plurality of rotor blades spaced circumferentially about the hub. Each of said rotor blades extends from a blade root to a blade tip such that said plurality of blades are rotatable through a plane of rotation extending about said axis of rotation, said plane of rotation is defined as substantially perpendicular to said axis of rotation, wherein each of said blade roots is coupled to said hub, wherein each of said blade tips is offset a distance upstream from said plane of rotation.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2008Publication date: December 10, 2009Inventors: Eric Morgan Jacobsen, Florian Doorenspleet