Patents by Inventor James Edwin Rhoda

James Edwin Rhoda 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: 8123471
    Abstract: A variable stator vane airfoil is mounted on a button centered about a rotational axis and includes circular leading and trailing edges circumscribed about the rotational axis at a button radius. Contoured pressure and suction sides extend from the circular leading edge to the circular trailing edge and are recessed inwardly from a perimeter circumscribed about the rotational axis at the button radius. One of upstream and downstream pressure side portions of the contoured pressure side is straight and another of the upstream and downstream pressure side portions is convexly curved. One of the upstream and downstream suction side portions is straight and another of the upstream and downstream suction side portions is convexly curved. One of the upstream pressure side portion and upstream suction side portion is straight and another of the upstream pressure side portion and upstream suction side portion is convexly curved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Joseph Mielke, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, David Scott Clark, James Edwin Rhoda, Gary Robert Peters
  • Publication number: 20100232936
    Abstract: A variable stator vane airfoil is mounted on a button centered about a rotational axis and includes circular leading and trailing edges circumscribed about the rotational axis at a button radius. Contoured pressure and suction sides extend from the circular leading edge to the circular trailing edge and are recessed inwardly from a perimeter circumscribed about the rotational axis at the button radius. One of upstream and downstream pressure side portions of the contoured pressure side is straight and another of the upstream and downstream pressure side portions is curved. One of the upstream and downstream suction side portions is straight and another of the upstream and downstream suction side portions is curved. One of the upstream pressure side portion and upstream suction side portion is straight and another of the upstream pressure side portion and upstream suction side portion is curved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Inventors: Mark Joseph Mielke, Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow, David Scott Clark, James Edwin Rhoda, Gary Robert Peters
  • Patent number: 7125222
    Abstract: A method facilitates assembling a variable vane assembly for a gas turbine engine including a casing and an inner shroud. The method comprises providing at least one variable vane including a radially inner spindle that includes a groove defined therein that has at least one machined face, and coupling the variable vane radially between the casing and the inner shroud such that at least a portion of the radially inner spindle is inserted at least partially through an opening extending radially through the inner shroud. The method also comprises securing the variable vane to the inner shroud by engaging the spindle machined face with a retainer coupled to the inner shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nathan Gerard Cormier, Wayne Ray Bowen, James Edwin Rhoda, Mitchell Jay Headley
  • Patent number: 7097420
    Abstract: A method of assembling a gas turbine engine includes providing a plurality of stator vane sectors that each include an equal number of stator vanes that are circumferentially-spaced such that a first circumferential spacing is defined between each pair of adjacent stator vanes within the sector, and coupling the plurality of stator vane sectors together to form a stator vane assembly such that a second circumferential spacing is defined between each pair of adjacent stator vanes coupled to adjacent sectors, wherein the second circumferential spacing is different from the first circumferential spacing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nathan Gerard Cormier, James Edwin Rhoda, Steven Roy Manwaring
  • Patent number: 6520742
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine rotor disk has a number of annular hubs circumscribed about a centerline and each of the hubs is connected to a disk rim by a web. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart dovetail slots are disposed through the rim, extending circumferentially between disk posts, extending axially from a forward end to an aft end of the rim, and extending radially inwardly from a disk outer surface of the rim. Circumferentially extending annular burst slots extend radially through the rim into the dovetail slots between each adjacent pair of the webs. In the exemplary embodiment of the disk illustrated herein, the dovetail slots are circular arc dovetail slots. An axially forwardly extending overhang is located radially outwardly on each of the disk posts and a chamfer is on a radially outer corner of the each of the disk posts on a portion of the overhangs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Michael Forrester, Janine Elizabeth Bolt, James Edwin Rhoda, Joseph Timothy Stevenson