Patents by Inventor Frank J. Cunha

Frank J. Cunha 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: 10451281
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine assembly includes a combustor wall including a first layer vertically connected with a second layer. A first portion of the first layer overlaps and is vertically spaced from the second layer by a cavity. A second portion of the first layer is substantially vertically inline with an adjacent portion of the second layer. The second portion of the first layer at least partially forms a quench aperture vertically through the combustor wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka
  • Patent number: 10443848
    Abstract: A grommet assembly and method of design to enhance the flow coefficient, thereof, includes a shell having a first side and an opposite second side, and a chamfered grommet projecting through the shell along a centerline and including an annular first end surface spaced outward from the first side and a conical face spanning axially and radially inward from the annular first end surface and axially beyond the second side. The assembly may further include a panel spaced from the shell and defining a cooling cavity therebetween with the conical surface defining at least in-part a hole in fluid communication through the shell and panel and isolated from the cooling cavity. A plurality of cooling channels in the grommet are in fluid communication with the cooling cavity and communicate through the panel. The combination of the conical face and the cooling channels improve the discharge coefficient of the grommet while enhancing grommet cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka, Jr., Andreas Sadil
  • Patent number: 10386068
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for a turbine engine. A combustor wall of the turbine engine assembly includes a shell, a heat shield and an annular body. The annular body extends through the combustor wall. The annular body at least partially defines a quench aperture along a centerline through the combustor wall. The annular body defines a first cooling aperture fluidly coupled between a cooling cavity and the quench aperture. The cooling cavity is between the shell and the heat shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Stanislav Kostka, Jr., Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 10386066
    Abstract: A multi-walled structure is provided for a turbine engine. This structure includes a shell with a textured first surface, and a heat shield with a second surface. The heat shield is attached to the shell. The first and the second surfaces vertically define a cooling cavity between the shell and the heat shield. The cooling cavity fluidly couples a plurality of cooling apertures defined in the shell with a plurality of cooling apertures defined in the heat shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corpoation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10378773
    Abstract: A diffuser assembly is provided for a turbine engine. This diffuser assembly includes a diffuser module with a combustor plenum and a mixing chamber. The diffuser module is configured to receive first and second airflows into the mixing chamber and direct a mixed airflow out of the mixing chamber. The diffuser module includes a mixer configured to mix the first and the second airflows together within the mixing chamber to provide the mixed airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka
  • Patent number: 10378768
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine assembly includes a combustor wall. The combustor wall includes a shell, a heat shield and an annular body. The annular body extends through the combustor wall and at least partially defines a quench aperture along a centerline through the combustor wall. The shell defines a first cooling aperture radially outwards of the annular body relative to the centerline and is configured to direct air to impinge against a portion of the annular body between the heat shield and the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10352566
    Abstract: A liner panel for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a multiple of heat transfer augmentors. At least one of the multiple of heat transfer augmentors includes a hemi-spherical protuberance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Drake, Stanislav Kostka, Jr., Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 10344979
    Abstract: A heat resistant panel has a bulkhead and a swirler adjacent a combustion chamber. The heat resistant panel comprises an inner panel for facing the combustion chamber and defining a first exit port at an upstream end thereof configured to direct cooling air into the combustor chamber in a first direction adjacent the bulkhead. A second exit port at a downstream end thereof is configured to direct cooling air into the combustor chamber in a second direction with an axial direction defined between the upstream and downstream ends. The first and second directions have opposed axial components. A heat resistant structure and a combustor are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Timothy S. Snyder
  • Patent number: 10317079
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine assembly includes a combustor wall, which includes a shell, a heat shield and an annular body. The body at least partially defines a first aperture through the shell and the heat shield. The body also defines one or more second apertures through which air is directed into the first aperture and provides non-uniform cooling to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Stanislav Kostka, Jr., Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 10317078
    Abstract: An assembly is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine assembly includes a body, a shell and a heat shield panel. The panel is attached to the shell with a tapered cooling cavity between the shell and the panel. The panel defines a cooling aperture configured to direct air out of the cooling cavity to impinge against the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20190128522
    Abstract: A combustor wall is provided for a turbine engine. The combustor wall includes a combustor shell and a combustor heat shield that is attached to the shell. The heat shield includes a first panel and a second panel that sealingly engages the first panel in an overlap joint. A cooling cavity extends between the shell and the heat shield and fluidly couples a plurality of apertures in the shell with a plurality of apertures in the heat shield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Stanislav Kostka, Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 10234140
    Abstract: A liner panel is provided for use in a gas turbine engine. The liner panel includes an intermediate rail that extends from a cold side of a liner panel. The liner panel also includes a multiple of heat transfer augmentors, which generally decrease in height with respect to a distance from the intermediate rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka
  • Patent number: 10222064
    Abstract: A combustor wall is provided for a turbine engine. The combustor wall includes a combustor shell and a combustor heat shield that is attached to the shell. The heat shield includes a first panel and a second panel that sealingly engages the first panel in an overlap joint. A cooling cavity extends between the shell and the heat shield and fluidly couples a plurality of apertures in the shell with a plurality of apertures in the heat shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Stanislav Kostka, Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 10174946
    Abstract: A nozzle guide is provided for a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The nozzle guide includes an annular structure including a plurality of cooling holes, a guide plate including a plurality of openings on an outer periphery of the guide plate, and a plurality of cooling passages within the annular structure to provide air flow from the plurality of cooling holes to the plurality of openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Stanislav Kostka
  • Patent number: 10174949
    Abstract: A heat shield for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes a first edge with a first set of cantilevered members and a second edge with a second set of cantilevered members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Nurhak Erbas-Sen
  • Patent number: 10094287
    Abstract: A component according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a body portion and a cooling scheme disposed inside the body portion, the cooling scheme including a vascular engineered lattice structure and a heat transfer device adjacent to the vascular engineered lattice structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stanislav Kostka, Jr., Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 10094563
    Abstract: A combustor component of a gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a heat shield panel. The heat shield panel defines a bend and a microcircuit flow path within a thickness of the heat shield panel. The microcircuit flow path includes an inlet and an outlet radially outward of the inlet. The microcircuit flow path at the bend is positioned radially between the inlet and the outlet, and the microcircuit flow path follows the bend. A method of cooling a combustor of a gas turbine engine is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Frank J. Cunha, Timothy S. Snyder
  • Patent number: 10088161
    Abstract: A liner panel for use in a gas turbine engine. The liner panel has a hot side and a cold side. The liner panel includes a rail extending from the cold side and a multiple of studs extending from the cold side. At least one of the multiple of studs extends from, in part, the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Drake, Stanislav Kostka, Jr., Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 10047958
    Abstract: A combustor wall is provided for a turbine engine and includes a combustor shell and a heat shield. The heat shield is attached to the shell with first and second cavities extending between the shell and the heat shield. The first cavity fluidly couples apertures defined in the shell with the second cavity. The second cavity fluidly couples the first cavity with apertures defined in the heat shield. The shell and the heat shield converge toward one another about the second cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Nurhak Erbas-Sen, Frank J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 9939154
    Abstract: A combustor having U-shaped cooling channels is disclosed. The combustor may include a shell having an impingement hole, a liner spaced from the shell and having an effusion hole; a first partition spanning between the shell and the liner, a second partition spaced from the first partition and spanning between the shell and the liner; and a U-shaped channel defined between the shell and the liner and defined in part by the wall, the channel having upstream and downstream ends both adjacent the first partition and separated by the wall, wherein the impingement hole communicates with the upstream end and the effusion hole communicates with the downstream end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Frank J. Cunha