Patents by Inventor Frank H. Grimes

Frank H. Grimes 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: 5337034
    Abstract: An assembly for mounting a transformer in a tank, comprising a top and bottom frame, the transformer being located between the top and bottom frames. A plurality of slots are disposed in a row in the top frame. L-shaped brackets are provided for securing the transformer to the tank. The brackets include a toggled end disposed on one end and a shear lug located interior of the toggled end. The toggled end and the shear lug are each disposed in one of the plurality of slots to secure the transformer with the tank. The plurality of slots allow relocation of the brackets along the top frame. A bore is also disposed in the L-shaped bracket. A mounting screw extends through the bore and through one of the plurality of slots in the top frame to further secure the top frame to the tank, the mounting screw maintaining electrical continuity between the top frame and the tank. The shear lug bears any lateral forces which would be otherwise received by the ground screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1994
    Assignee: ABB Power T & D Company Inc.
    Inventor: Frank H. Grimes
  • Patent number: 4993141
    Abstract: A method of making a product for use in fabricating a low-loss core of a transformer. The core is composed of a web of amorphous metal of small thickness. In forming the product, the web is wound into an annular spiral structure on a circularly cylindrical mandrel. The structure is removed from the mandrel and collapsed into an approximate figure "8" shape and groups of cuts are produced in the upper collapsed surface of the figure "8". Each cut defines a step of a group. Each step has a number of turns of the web and each group has a number of steps. The steps of each group are offset in a succession along the structure and penetrates progressively into the structure. Successive groups extend progressively inwardly throughout the structure. The cuts subdivide the structure into separate strips. The strips are wrapped in a spiral to form a lapped spiral structure onto a second circularly cylindrical mandrel of smaller diameter than the first mandrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: ABB Power T&D Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Frank H. Grimes, Eugenius S. Hammack
  • Patent number: 4993140
    Abstract: A method of making a transformer having a core composed of a web of magnetic amorphous metal of small thickness.The laminations of the core of the transformer are the stacked turns formed by winding the web into a spiral having a window in the center. The coils are wound as integral structures having openings for telescoping the coils onto the core. For the telescoping, the core is cut and converted into a U-shaped structure on whose arms the coils are telescoped. The cut joint is a butt-lap-step joint. To produce such a joint, the laminations are divided into groups and each group is divided into steps which are spaced longitudinally of the web. After the coils are telescoped onto the core, the cut ends of the arms of the U are abutted to form a closed core. The cuts in the laminations that make up alternate groups in the stack are inclined to the longitudinal center line of the web at a first angle different from 90.degree..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: ABB Power T & D Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Frank H. Grimes, Eugenius S. Hammack
  • Patent number: 4972168
    Abstract: A transformer having a core having a butt-lap-step joint. The laminations of the core are the turns of a spiral into which a web of very thin amorphous magnetic material is wound. At the joint, the core is cut producing opposite folds whose ends are aligned. The purpose of the joint is to enable the core to be opened by pealing off the folds defining the cuts and converted into a U-shaped structure; coils are telescoped on the arms. The core is closed by refolding the folds and aligning the ends of the opposite folds. At the joint the laminations, subdivided into successive groups, are cut at an angle of the order of 87.degree. to the center line of the laminations; alternate groups being cut inclined in one direction and the intervening groups being cut inclined oppositely. The oppositely inclined cuts preclude mismatching and mislocating the groups when the core structure is closed after the coils are telescoped on the arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1990
    Assignee: ABB Power T & D Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank H. Grimes, Eugenius S. Hammack
  • Patent number: 4910863
    Abstract: A method of making a transformer having an amorphous metal core uses resin coated substrate to reduce amorphous metal contaminants in the transformer coolant. The face of an annealed wound amorphous metal core is covered with a resin coated substrate. The core and resin coated substrate are bonded by pressing the core face. The second face is then done in the same way. The resulting resin coated substrate and transformer core is a unit. The substrate prevents amorphous metal pieces from escaping into the transformer oil and becomes a structural member of the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 27, 1990
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri Inc.
    Inventors: Milan D. Valencic, Frank H. Grimes
  • Patent number: 4903396
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing a transformer having an amorphous metal core. The face of the joint portion of the amorphous metal core is covered with an oil compatible porous pads. Pressure plates are disposed over the pads. A frame positioned generally around the plates secures the pads and plates to the amorphous metal core. Banding straps may be threaded about the core assembly to further secure the core assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1990
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Frank H. Grimes, Terrence E. Chenoweth
  • Patent number: 4766407
    Abstract: A fixture for defining the window of a jointed magnetic core, which core is constructed of amorphous metal alloy, and methods of constructing such a fixture. The fixture includes first and second substantially U-shaped metallic frame members which are easily and quickly assembled with interlocking joints which positively maintain the desired geometric configuration of the core window, as well as the peripheral dimension thereof. Notwithstanding the high mechanical strength of the fixture, the interlocking joints are easily unlocked, which feature is necessary as the fixture will be required to be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled as part of the normal processing of the magnetic core. New and improved methods of constructing the fixture enable the same tooling to be used for different sizes of fixtures, which are required to cover the range of transformer ratings the magnetic cores will be an integral part of.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1988
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Frank H. Grimes
  • Patent number: 4761630
    Abstract: An improved transformer core joint for use in connection with amorphous metal transformers which includes a plurality of spirally wound laminations that are divided into a plurality of groups of laminations. The laminations within a group of laminations essentially provide a butt joint within the group while adjacent groups of laminations form a lap joint with each other. The groups of laminations are divided into sets of groups and a step either in the direction of the spiral or against the direction of the spiral occurs between each of the sets of groups. The joint of the invention provides a compact, easily disassembled and reassembled core joint for accommodating the manufacture of amorphous metal transformer cores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1988
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Frank H. Grimes, Eugenius Hammack
  • Patent number: 4723349
    Abstract: A fixture for defining the window of a jointed magnetic core, which core is constructed of amorphous metal alloy, and methods of constructing such a fixture. The fixture includes first and second substantially U-shaped metallic frame members which are easily and quickly assembled with interlocking joints which positively maintain the desired geometric configuration of the core window, as well as the peripheral dimension thereof. Notwithstanding the high mechanical strength of the fixture, the interlocking joints are easily unlocked, which feature is necessary as the fixture will be required to be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled a part of the normal processing of the magnetic core. New and improved methods of constructing the fixture enable the same tooling to be used for different sizes of fixtures, which are required to cover the range of transformer ratings the magnetic cores will be an integral part of.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1988
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Frank H. Grimes
  • Patent number: 4615106
    Abstract: A method of consolidating a magnetic core which contains amorphous metal, including the step of thermal spraying an electrically non-conductive material on the edges of the laminations which make up the magnetic core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1986
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Frank H. Grimes, Robert F. Krause
  • Patent number: 4592133
    Abstract: A method of constructing an electrical transformer having an uncut, unjointed magnetic core, which obtains the advantages of cylindrical winding of electrical conductor about the core legs, without the disadvantages of cylindrical winding associated with space factor. The new and improved method includes winding an electrical conductor about a core leg, using cylindrical winding techniques, to provide an electrical winding section having a circular cross-sectional configuration, and then re-forming the winding to a substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration which minimizes the space occupied by the winding in the core window. This enables cylindrical winding techniques to be used to wind a conductor about another winding leg of the magnetic core. The reforming steps redistribute the winding-core space to a location outside the core window, and in a preferred embodiment of the invention, this space is filled with an auxiliary, jointed magnetic core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1986
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Frank H. Grimes, Ram R. P. Sinha