Patents by Inventor Nicholas Joseph Kray

Nicholas Joseph Kray 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: 20190284943
    Abstract: An airfoil for a turbomachinery rotor includes: a body having a first density, the body defining a pressure side and a suction side, the pressure side and suction side intersecting at a leading edge and a trailing edge; and a mass positioned within the body and having a second density, wherein the second density is greater than the first density, wherein the mass is offset from a center of gravity of the body in at least one axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Paul Gerard Marsland, Wayne Allen Spence, Abhijeet Yadav, Samar Jyoti Kalita, Nitesh Jain, Narendra D. Joshi
  • Publication number: 20190257210
    Abstract: A platform apparatus for a propulsion rotor having an annular array of airfoils carried by a rotor disk. The apparatus includes: at least one forward segment comprising an arcuate forward body having a plurality of spaced-apart axially-extending forward fingers, each of the forward fingers bounded by a curved first lateral edge interconnected to a straight second lateral edge by an aft edge, wherein the forward segment defines a flow path surface and an opposed back surface; at least one aft segment comprising an arcuate aft body having a plurality of spaced-apart actually-extending aft fingers, each of the aft fingers bounded by a curved first lateral edge interconnected to a straight second lateral edge by a forward edge, wherein the aft segment defines a flow path surface and an opposed back surface, and wherein the aft edges have a shape complementary to a shape of the forward edges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2018
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Qiang Li, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Gerald Alexander Pauley, Ming Xie, Jorge Orlando Lamboy, Tod Winton Davis
  • Publication number: 20190242260
    Abstract: A blade for the fan section of a turbine engine comprising a composite core defining a pressure side and a suction side extending axially between a core leading edge and a core trailing edge defining a chord-wise direction and extending radially between a core root and a core tip defining a span-wise direction and a leading edge strip mounted to the core leading edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Douglas Duane Ward, David William Crall
  • Publication number: 20190242399
    Abstract: A blade for a turbine engine comprising a composite core defining a pressure side and a suction side extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge defining a chord-wise direction and extending radially between a root and a tip defining a span-wise direction. The composite core is formed from two materials with different compositions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Douglas Duane Ward, David William Crall, Wendy Wen-Ling Lin
  • Patent number: 10371097
    Abstract: A component is provided for a turbine engine. The component can include an airfoil defining a surface, and an energy absorbing composite positioned on the surface of the airfoil or within the airfoil. The energy absorbing composite includes a shear thickening fluid distributed through a matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Aaron Todd Sellinger, Nicholas Joseph Kray
  • Publication number: 20190234313
    Abstract: A rotating shaft and a method for additively manufacturing the rotating shaft are provided. The rotating shaft includes an elongated body extending along an axial direction and including an inner surface that defines a hollow central portion. An internal support structure extends from the inner surface into the hollow central portion to stiffen the rotating shaft and provide a high stiffness-to-weight ratio. The internal support structures may include stiffening ribs, truss structures, mesh structures, solid disks, and/or regions having a decreased density relative to the elongated body. The elongated body and some or all internal features may be integrally formed as a single monolithic component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Nitesh Jain, Srinivasarao Surapu
  • Publication number: 20190232547
    Abstract: A method of making a 3D tube and the 3D tube made thereby. The method comprises: inserting a deflated pre-formed bladder into the 3D tube; and inflating the pre-formed bladder to deform the 3D tube and make the 3D tube have a substantially similar shape as that of the pre-formed bladder inflated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Wendy Wenling Lin, Arthur William Sibbach, Aaron Todd Sellinger
  • Publication number: 20190226402
    Abstract: A booster splitter for a gas turbine engine and a method of additively manufacturing the booster splitter are provided. The booster splitter includes an annular outer wall defining an internal fluid passageway in fluid communication with a fluid supply and terminating in discharge ports that eject a flow of fluid into the compressor section of the gas turbine engine. The internal fluid passageway may also be in fluid communication with heating plenums of a first plurality of airfoils for heating those airfoils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Sreekanth Kumar Dorbala, Nitesh Jain, Prashant Sharma
  • Patent number: 10328639
    Abstract: An automated fiber placement (AFP) system includes a tool head with a compaction roller and a first variable heat source. The compaction roller is configured to receive at least one of a fiber and a plurality of fibers formed as a laydown tape, and is controlled to apply the laydown tape to a workpiece at a predetermined speed and direction. The first variable heat source is configured to apply a first amount of heat to the laydown tape. The first amount of heat applied is related to the predetermined speed. The AFP system further includes a second variable heat source configured to apply a second amount of heat to the workpiece. The second amount of heat applied is related to at least one of: a position on the workpiece, a thickness of the workpiece at that position, and a separation distance between the second variable heat source and the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Stefaan Guido Van Nieuwenhove
  • Patent number: 10323532
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to variable cellular structures, methods of making such cellular structures, and variable cellular flow discouragers for turbine engines for jet aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Narendra Digamber Joshi, Samar Jyoti Kalita, Paul Marsland, Wayne Spence
  • Publication number: 20190170012
    Abstract: A rotor assembly includes a fan rotor shaft coupled to a fan rotor, a low pressure turbine rotor shaft coupled to a low pressure turbine rotor, and a joint device configured to connect the fan rotor shaft to the low pressure turbine rotor shaft, to allow torsion, shear and bending to be transferred between the fan rotor shaft and the low pressure turbine rotor shaft under normal operation, and allow torsion and shear but prevent bending to be transferred between the fan rotor shaft and the low pressure turbine rotor shaft under a fan blade-out event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Abhijeet Jayshingrao Yadav, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Nitesh Jain, Saurabh Sanjay Rasal
  • Patent number: 10196898
    Abstract: A turbine engine airfoil apparatus, including an airfoil defined by a plurality of airfoil sections arrayed along a stacking axis that extends between a root and a tip, wherein at least two of the airfoil sections spaced apart from each other have differing airfoil section thermal expansion properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Narendra Digamber Joshi, Samar Jyoti Kalita, Paul Gerard Marsland, Wayne Allen Spence
  • Patent number: 10145382
    Abstract: A composite blade assembly and a method of assembling a composite blade are provided. The composite blade assembly includes a composite blade having a radially inner root. A composite blade assembly includes a first platform and a circumferentially adjacent second platform abutting the first platform at a platform joint. Each of the first platform and the second platform includes a radially outer surface and a radially inwardly extending attachment member. The platform joint includes a slot extending through adjacent edges of the first platform and the second platform. The slot is configured to receive the radially inner root and the radially inner root is configured to be sandwiched between the attachment members. The blade assembly includes an adhesive system configured to join the radially inner root of the composite blade and the attachment members into a unitary structure, and a retaining clip configured to bias the attachment members towards each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Jan Christopher Schilling, Nitesh Jain, Abhijit Roy
  • Publication number: 20180334922
    Abstract: A softwall containment system for a machine includes an inner wall circumscribing a bladed rotatable member of the machine and extending from a forward end to an aft end. The softwall containment system also includes an outer wall circumscribing the inner wall and extending from a forward end to an aft end. The outer wall is spaced radially outwardly from the inner wall. The outer wall extends axially between a first joint coupling the forward end of the inner wall to the forward end of the outer wall and a second joint coupling the aft end of the inner wall to the aft end of the outer wall. The softwall containment system also includes an anti-ballistic material wrap covering the outer wall, the anti-ballistic material wrap including at least one of a first extension extending forward of the first joint and a second extension extending aft of the second joint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Thomas Chadwick Waldman, Manoj Kumar Jain, Mojibur Rahman, Nitesh Jain, Nagamohan Govinahalli Prabhakar, Scott Roger Finn, Apostolos Pavlos Karafillis
  • Patent number: 10125619
    Abstract: A rotor assembly for use in a turbofan engine is provided. The rotor assembly includes an annular spool including a blade opening defined therein, and a rotor blade radially insertable through the blade opening. The rotor blade includes a rotor blade radially insertable through the blade opening. The rotor blade includes a root portion having a dovetail shape, and the root portion is undersized relative to the blade opening. At least one secondary dovetail member is positioned within the blade opening and configured to couple the root portion within the blade opening with an interference fit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Todd Alan Anderson
  • Publication number: 20180320706
    Abstract: A laminated composite airfoil assembly includes a first lamina formed of a pre-preg material including metal fibers, and at least a second lamina formed of a pre-preg material including at least one of metal fibers intermixed with carbon fibers, only metal fibers, only carbon fibers, a substrate including metal fibers, a substrate including carbon fibers, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Nitesh Jain, Sujana Chandrasekar, Ramkrishna Maripalli, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Wendy Wenling Lin
  • Publication number: 20180298782
    Abstract: A turbine engine that includes an engine casing including a shell and an angel wing member. The angel wing member includes a base defined at the shell and a tip positioned distal from the base. The turbine engine also includes a backsheet extending over the angel wing member such that an angled region is defined in the backsheet at an interface with the tip. The tip has a predetermined contour capable of mitigating stress concentrations in the angled region induced from said tip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas Chadwick Waldman, James Edward Thompson, Douglas Ward, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Scott Roger Finn, Apostolos Pavlos Karafillis
  • Publication number: 20180298915
    Abstract: A turbine engine that includes an engine casing including a shell and an angel wing member. The angel wing member includes a base defined at the shell, a tip positioned distal from the base, and a first side and a second side that define a thickness of the angel wing member. The thickness of the angel wing member is non-uniform between the base and the tip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Thomas Chadwick Waldman, James Edward Thompson, Douglas Ward, Apostolos Pavlos Karafillis
  • Publication number: 20180298780
    Abstract: A backsheet for use in a turbine engine fan case includes a first portion including a first portion first end and an opposing first portion second end. The first portion is tapered between the first portion first end and the first portion second end. The backsheet also includes a second portion coupled to the first portion. The second portion includes a second portion first end and an opposing second portion second end. The second portion defines a constant thickness between the second portion first end and the second portion second end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Inventors: Nicholas Joseph Kray, Thomas Chadwick Waldman, Manoj Kumar Jain, Mojibur Rahman, Nitesh Jain, Nagamohan Govinahalli Prabhakar, Scott Roger Finn, Apostolos Pavlos Karafillis
  • Patent number: 10099434
    Abstract: An airfoil structure is presented. The airfoil structure includes an outer casing substantially surrounding a composite core. The composite core includes a plurality of fiber bands, each of the plurality of fiber bands is placed at a predetermined position and orientation at a time, wherein the plurality of fiber bands are interwoven in an in-plane and out-of-plane orientation by interleaving each of the plurality of fiber bands placed in a plane with one or more of the plurality of fiber bands of an adjacent plane to define an interleaved structure. A method for manufacturing an airfoil structure including the composite core is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Todd Alan Anderson, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt, Michael Harvey Schneider