Patents by Inventor Kenneth Burrell Potter

Kenneth Burrell Potter 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).

  • COMPOSITE CORE FOR CASTING PROCESSES, AND PROCESSES OF MAKING AND USING THE SAME
    Publication number: 20160175923
    Abstract: A composite ceramic core that, in combination with a shell mold, is suitable for use in a casting process to produce metal alloy components. The core and casting process make use of a highly leachable interior layer in combination with an exterior layer that is less reactive than the interior layer in the presence of common alloying elements. The interior layer contains at least one hollow channel that allows a point of entry for a leaching solution, as well as exit for gaseous byproducts generated during the casting process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Shan Liu, Kenneth Burrell Potter, Ganjiang Feng
  • Unidirectional solidification process and apparatus and single-crystal seed therefor
    Patent number: 9144842
    Abstract: A single-crystal seed, apparatus and process for producing a casting having a single-crystal (SX) microstructure. The seed has a geometry that includes a vertex capable of destabilizing an oxide film that forms at the interface between the seed and a molten metal during the casting process, and thereby promotes a continuous single-crystal grain growth and reduces grain misorientation defects that can initiate from the seed/metal interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ganjiang Feng, Gregory Keith Bouse, Kenneth Burrell Potter, Andrew John Elliott, Shan Liu
  • UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION PROCESS AND APPARATUS AND SINGLE-CRYSTAL SEED THEREFOR
    Publication number: 20120152483
    Abstract: A single-crystal seed, apparatus and process for producing a casting having a single-crystal (SX) microstructure. The seed has a geometry that includes a vertex capable of destabilizing an oxide film that forms at the interface between the seed and a molten metal during the casting process, and thereby promotes a continuous single-crystal grain growth and reduces grain misorientation defects that can initiate from the seed/metal interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ganjiang Feng, Gregory Keith Bouse, Kenneth Burrell Potter, Andrew John Elliott, Shan Liu
  • Process for removing chromide coatings from metal substrates, and related compositions
    Patent number: 6953533
    Abstract: A method for removing a chromide coating from the surface of a substrate is described. The coating is treated with a composition which includes an acid having the formula HxAF6, where “A” can be Si, Ge, Ti, Zr, Al, or Ga; and x is 1–6. An exemplary acid is hexafluorosilicic acid. The composition may also include a second acid, such as phosphoric acid or nitric acid. In some instances, a third acid is employed, such as hydrochloric acid. A related repair method for replacing a worn or damaged chromide coating is described. The coating is often applied to portions of turbine engine components made from superalloy materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lawrence Bernard Kool, Kenneth Burrell Potter, William Randall Thompson, David Carr, Kiyokazu Watanabe, Minoru Ishida, Kazuharu Hattori