Patents by Inventor Kevin Updegrove

Kevin Updegrove 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).

  • Method of repairing a turbine blade tip
    Patent number: 6502303
    Abstract: A blade tip cap of a turbine blade is repaired by restoring the tip rail and attaching a strengthening rib across the blade tip cap connecting the concave wall to the convex wall of the tip rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Updegrove, Peter Bader, Michael Foster
  • Method of repairing a turbine blade tip
    Publication number: 20020162220
    Abstract: A blade tip cap of a turbine blade is repaired by restoring the tip rail and attaching a strengthening rib across the blade tip cap connecting the concave wall to the convex wall of the tip rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2001
    Publication date: November 7, 2002
    Inventors: Kevin Updegrove, Peter Bader, Michael Foster
  • Maskant for use during laser welding or drilling
    Patent number: 6376800
    Abstract: A maskant is provided for use during laser welding or drilling comprising a paste of metallic powder and silica.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Updegrove, Michael Foster
  • Welding superalloy articles
    Patent number: 6333484
    Abstract: A process is provided for welding a nickel or cobalt based superalloy article to minimize cracking by preheating the entire weld area to a maximum ductility temperature range, maintaining such temperature during welding and solidification of the weld, raising the temperature for stress relief of the superalloy, then cooling at a rate effective to minimize gamma prime precipitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Foster, Kevin Updegrove
  • Method of repairing a turbine blade
    Patent number: 6332272
    Abstract: A method for repairing a turbine blade (10) wherein the tip (16) of the blade is removed (41,43) and a replacement cap is attached by welding (49). The cap may consist of a plate (48) attached by welding and a squealer (54) formed by depositing weld material (52), as illustrated in FIG. 3. The plate and/or squealer may be formed from a material different from the material of the airfoil portion (42) of the blade in order to optimize the performance of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignees: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation, Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Zachary Sinnott, Kevin D. Smith, John E. Junkin, Kevin Updegrove, Michael F. Foster, Daniel Lovelace
  • Electrochemical stripping of turbine blades
    Patent number: 6165345
    Abstract: A process is provided to strip a metallic coating from a turbine blade comprising attaching the blade to a positive lead from a power supply, submersing a portion of the blade with a metallic coating to be stripped into a bath of acidic electro stripping solution, said bath containing a negative lead from a power supply attached to a conductive grid; and providing a current to the blade in the bath for a period of time effective to remove the coating on the portion of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Updegrove, Frank Goodwater, William Fay
  • Maskant for use during laser welding or drilling
    Patent number: 6107598
    Abstract: A maskant is provided for use during laser welding or drilling comprising a paste of metallic powder and silica.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Updegrove, Michael Foster
  • Protective gas shroud for welding
    Patent number: 6037563
    Abstract: A protective gas shroud for welding is provided by: positioning an article into a chamber having an opening at the top to permit welding of the article; introducing argon into the body of the chamber to act as a protective gas shroud for the article during welding; introducing helium into the open top of the chamber to assist in maintaining a protective gas shroud around the article during welding; and welding the article within the protective gas shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: Michael F. Foster, Thomas E. Knowles, Kevin Updegrove, Christopher A. Thurston
  • Plating turbine engine components
    Patent number: 5800695
    Abstract: A process is provided for plating a coating onto a gas turbine engine component without detrimentally effecting air flow through cooling holes by injecting a maskant into the cooling passage to fill the cooling holes with the maskant, plating the external surface of the component with a coating, then removing the maskant from the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation
    Inventors: David Kang, Kevin Updegrove, Frank Goodwater