Patents by Inventor James N. Fleck

James N. Fleck 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: 6824360
    Abstract: A component for use in a flow path of a gas turbine engine. The component includes a body having an exterior surface mountable in the gas turbine engine so the exterior surface is exposed to gases flowing through the flow path of the engine. The body has a cooling hole extending through the body to the exterior surface for transporting cooling air from a cooling air source outside the flow path of the engine to the exterior surface of the body for providing a layer of cooling air adjacent the exterior surface of the body to cool the surface and create a thermal barrier between the exterior surface and the gases flowing through the flow path of the gas turbine engine. The cooling hole is defined by an elongate annular surface extending through the body of the component and terminating at the exterior surface of the body. The hole has a length, a maximum width less than about 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James N. Fleck
  • Publication number: 20030143075
    Abstract: A component for use in a flow path of a gas turbine engine. The component includes a body having an exterior surface mountable in the gas turbine engine so the exterior surface is exposed to gases flowing through the flow path of the engine. The body has a cooling hole extending through the body to the exterior surface for transporting cooling air from a cooling air source outside the flow path of the engine to the exterior surface of the body for providing a layer of cooling air adjacent the exterior surface of the body to cool the surface and create a thermal barrier between the exterior surface and the gases flowing through the flow path of the gas turbine engine. The cooling hole is defined by an elongate annular surface extending through the body of the component and terminating at the exterior surface of the body. The hole has a length, a maximum width less than about 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James N. Fleck
  • Patent number: 6539627
    Abstract: A component for use in a flow path of a gas turbine engine. The component includes a body having an exterior surface mountable in the gas turbine engine so the exterior surface is exposed to gases flowing through the flow path of the engine. The body has a cooling hole extending through the body to the exterior surface for transporting cooling air from a cooling air source outside the flow path of the engine to the exterior surface of the body for providing a layer of cooling air adjacent the exterior surface of the body to cool the surface and create a thermal barrier between the exterior surface and the gases flowing through the flow path of the gas turbine engine. The cooling hole is defined by an elongate annular surface extending through the body of the component and terminating at the exterior surface of the body. The hole has a length, a maximum width less than about 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James N. Fleck
  • Publication number: 20020094272
    Abstract: A component for use in a flow path of a gas turbine engine. The component includes a body having an exterior surface mountable in the gas turbine engine so the exterior surface is exposed to gases flowing through the flow path of the engine. The body has a cooling hole extending through the body to the exterior surface for transporting cooling air from a cooling air source outside the flow path of the engine to the exterior surface of the body for providing a layer of cooling air adjacent the exterior surface of the body to cool the surface and create a thermal barrier between the exterior surface and the gases flowing through the flow path of the gas turbine engine. The cooling hole is defined by an elongate annular surface extending through the body of the component and terminating at the exterior surface of the body. The hole has a length, a maximum width less than about 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2002
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James N. Fleck
  • Patent number: 6254347
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sides extending longitudinally from root to tip, and chordally between leading and trailing edges. A striated discharge hole terminates outside the airfoil for discharging coolant therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James S. Shaw, James N. Fleck
  • Patent number: 6234912
    Abstract: A composite shaft whose construction and fabrication enable precise placement and orientation of reinforcement fiber bundles, enable close control of runout, and eliminate a separate joining operation for attaching mechanical drive couplings. The composite shaft generally includes an inner shell, a spacing member circumscribing and contacting the inner shell, and a bundle of fibers disposed in each of a number of longitudinally-extending cavities in the spacing member. The shaft also has an outer portion that encases the fiber bundles in the spacing member. The shaft preferably includes end pieces attached to the end of the shaft and adapted as mechanical coupling features. At least the end pieces, spacing member and fiber bundles are joined in a manner that defines a metal matrix surrounding and encasing the fiber bundles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Angelo V. Koschier, James N. Fleck, Hagen R. Mauch
  • Patent number: 6193465
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine airfoil is manufactured by forming an internal retention seat in two complementary airfoil parts. An insert is fabricated for retention in the seat. The two parts are assembled with the insert disposed in the seat therebetween. The parts are then bonded together to trap the insert therein to collectively define the airfoil. The insert and seat may be precisely fabricated for improving the efficiency of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gary C. Liotta, Paul J. Acquaviva, James N. Fleck
  • Patent number: 6162347
    Abstract: A method of making a hollow airfoil includes machining first and second parts to produce internal features thereof. The parts are then co-machined simultaneously at complementary joining surfaces. The parts are then bonded together at the co-machined joining surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: James N. Fleck
  • Patent number: 6135857
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a component in which residual tensile stresses are present in the component surface as a result of the operation by which the surface was produced. The process generally entails removing residual tensile stresses and inducing compressive stresses in the surface of a component by controlled impacting of the surface with two or more jets of fluid. An additional benefit of this invention is that damaged surface regions of the component can be removed simultaneously with residual tensile stresses by abrading the damaged surface region with a jet of abrasive fluid. The fluid jet employed to abrade the component surface is preferably at a pressure of at least 1360 bar, while the fluid jet employed to induce compressive stresses in the component surface is preferably at a pressure of at least 1700 bar. The second fluid jet can be operated to remove any embedded abrasive grit remaining from the first fluid jet operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James S. Shaw, James N. Fleck
  • Patent number: 4094672
    Abstract: A method and container for hot isostatic compacting of powder metallurgy charges in a sealed container wherein the container may be both easily removed from the charge after compacting and preserved for subsequent reuse; this is achieved by providing a separating medium between the container interior and the powdered metal charge to prevent bonding during hot isostatic compacting, and removing the compacted charge from the container by introducing fluid under pressure to the container interior to expand the same away from the compacted charge and then providing an opening in the container, preferably at the end thereof, through which the compact is withdrawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1975
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1978
    Assignee: Crucible Inc.
    Inventors: James N. Fleck, Richard C. Palmer, Charles L. Ruffner
  • Patent number: 3992202
    Abstract: Method for producing a powder-metallurgy article having at least one aperture therein; the article is produced by providing a dense, nondeformable core having a configuration corresponding to the desired configuration of the aperture in said article; the core is placed in a particle charge having a composition corresponding to that desired in the article; the position of the core within the particle charge corresponds to the desired position of the aperture within the final compacted product. The core has a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than that of said article, whereby after compacting removal of the core from the article to create the aperture is facilitated. A separating medium may be used between the core and the powder. The asembly constituting the container, core and powder is hot isostatically compacted, and upon cooling the container and core are removed from the densified article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1974
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1976
    Assignee: Crucible Inc.
    Inventors: Edward J. Dulis, James N. Fleck, Joseph W. Powell
  • Patent number: 3939241
    Abstract: A method for hot isostatically compacting powder metallurgy charges in sealed metal containers wherein the container may be easily removed from the charge after compacting by providing a separating medium between the container interior and the powder metallurgy charge to prevent bonding during subsequent hot isostatic compacting, and producing during hot isostatic compacting a residual stress in said container; slitting of the container after compacting releases the residual stresses and in the absence of bonding to the compact causes the container to move away from the compact, thereby avoiding typical container-removal operations such as machining and pickling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1974
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1976
    Assignee: Crucible Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph W. Powell, James N. Fleck