Patents by Inventor Marc D. Polanka

Marc D. Polanka 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: 10948381
    Abstract: A wake generator for placement in a wind tunnel between a wind source and a test object for generating a predetermined wake pattern, comprising: a first frame member comprising a first track formed thereon, the first track having a rounded first side and a flat second side; a mounting plate disposed within a perimeter of the first track, the mounting plate rotatable relative to the first frame member about a first axis; and a plurality of bars slidably engaged to the mounting plate and structurally configured to traverse along the first track when the mounting plate is rotated about the first axis, where each of the plurality of bars comprises a pivotal connection allowing each of the plurality of bars to pivot about the pivotal connection when traversing along the first track, wherein the plurality of bars are parallel to the track on the second side of the wake generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Carl Pickl, James L. Rutledge, Marc D. Polanka, Brian Crabtree, Christopher Harkless
  • Publication number: 20200232877
    Abstract: A wake generator for placement in a wind tunnel between a wind source and a test object includes a first frame member having a first track formed thereon, where the first track has a shape including a first side that is substantially rounded and a second side that is substantially flat. The wake generator may include a mounting plate disposed within a perimeter of the first track, where the mounting plate is rotatable relative to the first frame member about a first axis. The wake generator may also include a plurality of bars slidably engaged to the mounting plate and structurally configured to traverse along the first track when the mounting plate is rotated about the first axis, where each of the plurality of bars includes a pivotal connection allowing each of the plurality of bars to pivot about the pivotal connection when traversing along the first track.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventors: Carl Pickl, James L. Rutledge, Marc D. Polanka, Brian Crabtree, Christopher Harkless
  • Patent number: 10648882
    Abstract: A wake generator for placement in a wind tunnel between a wind source and a test object includes a first frame member having a first track formed thereon, where the first track has a shape including a first side that is substantially rounded and a second side that is substantially flat. The wake generator may include a mounting plate disposed within a perimeter of the first track, where the mounting plate is rotatable relative to the first frame member about a first axis. The wake generator may allow for better simulation of unsteady turbine wakes that influence cooling flow. The wake generator may also include a plurality of bars slidably engaged to the mounting plate and structurally configured to traverse along the first track when the mounting plate is rotated about the first axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Inventors: Carl Pickl, James L. Rutledge, Marc D. Polanka, Brian Crabtree, Christopher Harkless
  • Publication number: 20190234830
    Abstract: A wake generator for placement in a wind tunnel between a wind source and a test object includes a first frame member having a first track formed thereon, where the first track has a shape including a first side that is substantially rounded and a second side that is substantially flat. The wake generator may include a mounting plate disposed within a perimeter of the first track, where the mounting plate is rotatable relative to the first frame member about a first axis. The wake generator may also include a plurality of bars slidably engaged to the mounting plate and structurally configured to traverse along the first track when the mounting plate is rotated about the first axis, where each of the plurality of bars includes a pivotal connection allowing each of the plurality of bars to pivot about the pivotal connection when traversing along the first track.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Carl Pickl, James L. Rutledge, Marc D. Polanka, Brian Crabtree, Christopher Harkless
  • Patent number: 5342126
    Abstract: A twist lock for attaching a plastic shell of a thermal probe to a structural member such as a plastic intake manifold of an internal combustion engine in a socket in the structural member. The twist lock includes hooks on the plastic shell which traverse an annular shoulder at the bottom of the socket through notches in the shoulder when the shell is inserted in the socket and which are captured by the shoulder when the shell is rotated in the socket from an unlocked position to a locked position. The twist lock further includes a lug on the shell cooperating with a cam edge on a resilient lip around an open end of the socket to afford tactile representation of the progress of the shell toward and achievement of the locked position and to prevent reverse rotation of the shell from the locked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey W. Heston, Marc D. Polanka, Jeffrey A. Rock, Scott A. Geiger