Patents by Inventor Kevin Lee Kirkeng

Kevin Lee Kirkeng 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).

  • Publication number: 20230160310
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An inner shroud damper for a gas turbine engine includes: at least one carrier including a joint to couple to an inner shroud, the at least one carrier having a first side and a second side, and at least one mass damper coupled to the at least one carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Sam J. Stoughton, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Jacob P. Miller, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli, Paul Trimby, Jaeyong Kim
  • Patent number: 11608747
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. A split shroud for an inner shroud of a gas turbine engine includes: at least one forward shroud segment and at least one aft shroud segment to couple to the at least one forward shroud segment, the at least one forward shroud segment and the at least one aft shroud segment forming a split line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Sam J. Stoughton, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Jacob P. Miller, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli, Paul Trimby, Jaeyong Kim
  • Patent number: 11572794
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An inner shroud damper for a gas turbine engine includes: at least one carrier including a joint to couple to an inner shroud, the at least one carrier having a first side and a second side, and at least one mass damper coupled to the at least one carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Sam J. Stoughton, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Jacob P. Miller, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli, Paul Trimby, Jaeyong Kim
  • Patent number: 11428113
    Abstract: Variable stator vanes with anti-lock trunnions are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes an airfoil to be disposed within a flow path of a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine defining an axial axis, a radial axis and a circumferential axis, an outer trunnion, and an inner trunnion including a curved surface in an axial-radial plane, the inner trunnion enabling the airfoil to be rotatably mounted to an inner shroud of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Vishnu Das K, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli
  • Publication number: 20220213795
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. A split shroud for an inner shroud of a gas turbine engine includes: at least one forward shroud segment and at least one aft shroud segment to couple to the at least one forward shroud segment, the at least one forward shroud segment and the at least one aft shroud segment forming a split line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Sam J. Stoughton, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Jacob P. Miller, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli, Paul Trimby, Jaeyong Kim
  • Publication number: 20220213794
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An inner shroud damper for a gas turbine engine includes: at least one carrier including a joint to couple to an inner shroud, the at least one carrier having a first side and a second side, and at least one mass damper coupled to the at least one carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Sam J. Stoughton, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Jacob P. Miller, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli, Paul Trimby, Jaeyong Kim
  • Publication number: 20220178270
    Abstract: Variable stator vanes with anti-lock trunnions are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes an airfoil to be disposed within a flow path of a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine defining an axial axis, a radial axis and a circumferential axis, an outer trunnion, and an inner trunnion including a curved surface in an axial-radial plane, the inner trunnion enabling the airfoil to be rotatably mounted to an inner shroud of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Vishnu Das K, Reddi Hari Prasad Reddy Mylapalli
  • Patent number: 10436224
    Abstract: A turbomachinery rotor apparatus includes: a rotatable disk having an array of slots spaced around its periphery; an array of blades installed in the slots, wherein the blades have variable weights; and a plurality of connection components installed in the disk, each connection component forming a portion of a mechanical joint between one of the blades and its respective slot, wherein the connection components have variable weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Jason Bishop, Kevin Lee Kirkeng
  • Publication number: 20170284419
    Abstract: A turbomachinery rotor apparatus includes: a rotatable disk having an array of slots spaced around its periphery; an array of blades installed in the slots, wherein the blades have variable weights; and a plurality of connection components installed in the disk, each connection component forming a portion of a mechanical joint between one of the blades and its respective slot, wherein the connection components have variable weights.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Michael Jason Bishop, Kevin Lee Kirkeng
  • Patent number: 8123463
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a blade is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of first plies, each of the first plies sized to extend substantially the length of a span of the blade and providing a plurality of second plies, each of the second plies sized to extend only partially the length of the span of the blade. The method also includes layering the plurality of first plies and the plurality of second plies in a mold such that the plurality of second plies is interspersed throughout the plurality of first plies to spread apart the plurality of first plies to facilitate increasing a cross-sectional area of the blade and bonding the plurality of first plies to the plurality of second plies to facilitate forming a structural core of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Tod Davis, Christopher Lee McAfee, Michael John Franks, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, David Crall
  • Publication number: 20100028594
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a blade is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of first plies, each of the first plies sized to extend substantially the length of a span of the blade and providing a plurality of second plies, each of the second plies sized to extend only partially the length of the span of the blade. The method also includes layering the plurality of first plies and the plurality of second plies in a mold such that the plurality of second plies is interspersed throughout the plurality of first plies to spread apart the plurality of first plies to facilitate increasing a cross-sectional area of the blade and bonding the plurality of first plies to the plurality of second plies to facilitate forming a structural core of the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Tod Davis, Christopher Lee McAfee, Michael John Franks, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, David Crall
  • Patent number: 7510376
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes a hollow airfoil having a plurality of bowed tip holes extending through a tip floor thereof and skewed toward a squealer rib extending outwardly from the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Nicholas Charles Palmer, Kevin Lee Kirkeng
  • Patent number: 7249934
    Abstract: A hollow turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending in span between a root and tip and extending in chord between opposite leading and trailing edges. The pressure sidewall includes a first pattern of first holes distributed in span and chord over a majority thereof, and a second pattern of different second holes also distributed in span and chord over a minority of the pressure sidewall between the tip and the midspan of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Charles Palmer, Kevin Lee Kirkeng, Ching-Pang Lee