Patents by Inventor Gerald Festner

Gerald Festner 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: 11982256
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns a segmented wind turbine rotor blade, which is formed by at least two rotor blade segments, wherein at a division area of the wind turbine rotor blade the segments are firmly connected together at respective connection ends via a plurality of connecting elements, wherein a gap is formed between the connection ends, and a fairing is attached to the segments at the division area, the fairing covering the gap and the connecting elements; wherein the fairing is divided into at least two separate fairing sections, the fairing sections are coupled together at coupling regions at the pressure side and/or at the suction side of the rotor blade, and the coupling regions are spaced apart from the trailing edge or leading edge. The disclosure also concerns a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Nordex Energy SE & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thomas Lipka, Gerald Festner, Adam Raczynski
  • Publication number: 20240084784
    Abstract: The segments of a segmented wind turbine rotor blade are screwed together at respective connection ends via a plurality of connecting bolts. Sleeve-shaped pressure pieces are arranged between the rotor blade segments, each of which is mounted on a connecting bolt. A plurality of first metal sheets is provided, each first metal sheet being arranged between a respective connection end and several pressure pieces, so that an electrically conductive connection is formed between several pressure pieces via a first metal sheet. The first metal sheets, which are associated with the first connection end, are each arranged along the circumference of the rotor blade offset from the first metal sheets, which are associated with the second connection end. Further, a metal sheet for a segmented wind turbine rotor blade is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Thomas Lipka, Gerald Festner, Benedikt Haspel
  • Patent number: 11920567
    Abstract: A rotor bearing housing for a wind turbine has: a bearing body for receiving a rotor shaft of the wind turbine, a support body arranged under the bearing body and configured to be coupled at a first end to a base element in order to transmit a force flow between the bearing body and the base element. The base element is arrangeable under the support body for the purposes of rotatable fastening to a first end of a tower of the wind turbine, the bearing body and the support body together forming a single-piece body, and the bearing body and the support body being configured such that, if a geometrical central point of the first receptacle for a rotor bearing is projected onto a cross-sectional plane of the first end of the tower, the geometrical central point is arranged outside a diameter of the tower at the first end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Nordex Energy SE & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ibrahim Muhamad, Gerald Festner
  • Publication number: 20240026856
    Abstract: A segmented wind turbine rotor blade includes sleeve-shaped pressure pieces arranged between rotor blade segments, each of which is mounted on a connecting bolt. Each pressure piece includes one or more cylindrical sections and a tool engaging section for an assembly tool). Each pressure piece is connected to a corresponding connecting bolt in a form fit manner, so that a screwing force can be applied to the corresponding connecting bolt via the assembly tool via the pressure piece. A diameter of the cylindrical section(s) is less than a diameter of the tool engaging section. Each two adjacent pressure pieces are arranged rotated by 180° relative to one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2021
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: Gerald Festner, Torsten Wackrow
  • Patent number: 11879440
    Abstract: A rotor bearing housing for a wind turbine has: a bearing body for receiving a rotor shaft of the wind turbine, a support body arranged under the bearing body and configured to be coupled at a first end to a base element in order to transmit a force flow between the bearing body and the base element. The base element is arrangeable under the support body for the purposes of rotatable fastening to a first end of a tower of the wind turbine, the bearing body and the support body together forming a single-piece body, and the bearing body and the support body being configured such that, if a geometrical central point of the first receptacle for a rotor bearing is projected onto a cross-sectional plane of the first end of the tower, the geometrical central point is arranged outside a diameter of the tower at the first end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Nordex Energy SE & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ibrahim Muhamad, Gerald Festner
  • Patent number: 11761430
    Abstract: A bearing support arrangement for a wind turbine includes a support structure and a bearing housing. The bearing housing is arranged within the support structure. The arrangement further includes a bearing radially supported by the bearing housing. A rotor shaft is radially supported by the bearing and a removable wedge is arranged between the support structure and the bearing housing to clamp the bearing between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing. A method for mounting the bearing support arrangement for a wind turbine is also disclosed as is a wind turbine incorporating the bearing support arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Nordex Energy SE & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ibrahim Muhamad, Gerald Festner
  • Publication number: 20220341390
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns a segmented wind turbine rotor blade, which is formed by at least two rotor blade segments, wherein at a division area of the wind turbine rotor blade the segments are firmly connected together at respective connection ends via a plurality of connecting elements, wherein a gap is formed between the connection ends, and a fairing is attached to the segments at the division area, the fairing covering the gap and the connecting elements; wherein the fairing is divided into at least two separate fairing sections, the fairing sections are coupled together at coupling regions at the pressure side and/or at the suction side of the rotor blade, and the coupling regions are spaced apart from the trailing edge or leading edge. The disclosure also concerns a method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Lipka, Gerald Festner, Adam Raczynski
  • Publication number: 20220299012
    Abstract: A gearbox support arrangement for a wind turbine includes: a gearbox housing, a torque support arrangement, a rotor bearing support structure, wherein the gearbox housing and the rotor bearing support structure are arranged next to each other along a longitudinal axis, the torque support arrangement couples the gearbox housing and the rotor bearing support structure with each other such that torque loads are transmittable between the gearbox housing and the rotor bearing support structure. The torque support arrangement includes a decoupling device configured to transmit the torque loads between the gearbox housing and the rotor bearing support structure and to reduce the transmission of vibrations and reaction loads between the gearbox housing and the rotor bearing support structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Ibrahim Muhamad, Gerald Festner, Viktor Nickel
  • Publication number: 20220299014
    Abstract: A rotor bearing housing for a wind turbine has: a bearing body for receiving a rotor shaft of the wind turbine, a support body arranged under the bearing body and configured to be coupled at a first end to a base element in order to transmit a force flow between the bearing body and the base element. The base element being arrangeable under the support body for the purposes of rotatable fastening to a first end of a tower of the wind turbine, the bearing body and the support body together forming a single-piece body, and the bearing body and the support body being configured such that, if a geometrical central point of the first receptacle for a rotor bearing is projected onto a cross-sectional plane of the first end of the tower, the geometrical central point is arranged outside a diameter of the tower at the first end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Ibrahim Muhamad, Gerald Festner
  • Publication number: 20220228554
    Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade having a first rotor blade segment with a first connection end and a second rotor blade segment with a second connection end assigned to the first end. The first segment has first mounting sleeves at the first end. The first mounting sleeves each have a first internal thread. The second rotor blade segment has second mounting sleeves at the second connection end. Each of the second sleeves define a longitudinal axis and has a second internal thread arranged therein. Each of the second internal threads is displaceable axially with respect to the corresponding longitudinal axes. The rotor blade further has a plurality of connecting bolts threadably engaging a pair of first and second sleeves via corresponding internal threads such that the first segment and the second segment are mechanically interconnected at the first end and the second end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2022
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Inventors: Gerald Festner, Torsten Wackrow, Nils Toenissen
  • Publication number: 20220163016
    Abstract: A bearing support arrangement for a wind turbine includes a support structure and a bearing housing. The bearing housing is arranged within the support structure. The arrangement further includes a bearing radially supported by the bearing housing. A rotor shaft is radially supported by the bearing and a removable wedge is arranged between the support structure and the bearing housing to clamp the bearing between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing. A method for mounting the bearing support arrangement for a wind turbine is also disclosed as is a wind turbine incorporating the bearing support arrangement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Inventors: Ibrahim Muhamad, Gerald Festner
  • Publication number: 20080000710
    Abstract: A switchable stabilizer is provided as a compact assembly unit. The hydraulic system of the hydraulic and control part (9) may form a closed circuit with the piston-and-cylinder unit of the switchable coupling unit (3)and the hydraulic and control part (9) may be integrated in the cylindrical housing (10) of the switchable coupling (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2005
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Inventors: Jens Vortmeyer, Andreas Hartmann, Bernd Grannemann, Mauro Zanella, Stefan Beetz, Torsten Baustian, Gerald Festner