Patents by Inventor Paul Lacy

Paul Lacy 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: 20180347378
    Abstract: A hot gas path component of an industrial machine includes a cooling pathway. The component includes a body including an outer surface; a thermal barrier coating (TBC) over the outer surface, the TBC exposed to a working fluid having a high temperature; and an internal cooling circuit in the body carrying a cooling medium. A cooling pathway is in the body and in fluid communication with the internal cooling circuit. The cooling pathway includes a terminating end in the body and a length extending along and spaced internally from the outer surface by a first spacing. In response to a spall in the TBC occurring at a location over the cooling pathway and the high temperature reaching or exceeding a predetermined temperature of the body, the cooling pathway opens at the location through the first spacing to allow a flow of the cooling medium therethrough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Brian Peter Arness, Victor John Morgan, Stephen William Tesh
  • Publication number: 20180347371
    Abstract: A hot gas path component of an industrial machine includes an adaptive cover for a cooling pathway. The component and adaptive cover are made by additive manufacturing. The component includes an outer surface exposed to a working fluid having a high temperature; an internal cooling circuit; and a cooling pathway in communication with the internal cooling circuit and extending towards the outer surface. The adaptive cover is positioned in the cooling pathway at the outer surface. The adaptive cover may include a heat transfer enhancing surface at the outer surface causing the adaptive cover to absorb heat faster than the outer surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Victor John Morgan
  • Publication number: 20180328224
    Abstract: An airfoil including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, and an internal impingement cavity. An impingement insert is located within the impingement cavity. The impingement insert includes at least one impingement cooling hole spaced along a first face of the impingement insert and at least one impingement fin, having a base and a tip opposite the base, spaced along the first face of the impingement insert. The at least one impingement fin is spaced apart from the at least one impingement cooling hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Sandip DUTTA, Joseph Anthony WEBER, Benjamin Paul LACY
  • Patent number: 10100666
    Abstract: A hot gas path component for a turbine system is disclosed. The hot gas path component includes a shell and one or more porous media having an exterior surface and an interior surface and positioned adjacent the shell. The one or more porous media is configured to include varying permeability in one of an axial direction, a radial direction, an axial and a radial direction, an axial and a circumferential direction, a radial and a circumferential direction or an axial, a radial and a circumferential direction, the porous media is positioned adjacent the shell. The one or more porous media is further configured to control one of an axial, a radial, an axial and a radial, an axial and a circumferential, a radial and a circumferential or an axial, a radial and a circumferential flow of a cooling medium flowing therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brian Gene Brzek, Victor John Morgan, Benjamin Paul Lacy
  • Patent number: 10099290
    Abstract: A hybrid additive manufacturing method comprises building an additive structure on a pre-sintered preform base, wherein building the additive structure comprises iteratively fusing together a plurality of layers of additive material with at least a first layer of additive material joined to the pre-sintered preform base, and wherein the pre-sintered preform base comprises an initial shape. The hybrid additive manufacturing method further comprises modifying the initial shape of the pre-sintered preform base comprising the additive structure into a modified shape comprising the additive structure, and, joining the pre-sintered preform base in its modified shape to a component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam, David Edward Schick
  • Patent number: 10087776
    Abstract: A cooling article and method of forming a cooling article are provided. The cooling article includes a body portion separating an inner region and an outer region, an aperture in the body portion, the aperture fluidly connecting the inner region and the outer region, and a reinforcing feature extending at least partially along the body portion, the reinforcing feature being oriented with respect to a build direction. The method includes forming a body portion defining an inner region and an outer region, forming at least one reinforcing feature concurrently with the forming of the body portion, the at least one reinforcing feature extending at least partially along the body portion, and forming an aperture in the body portion, the aperture fluidly connecting the inner region to the outer region. The forming the body portion, forming the aperture, and forming the at least one reinforcing feature comprises additive manufacturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam, David Edward Schick
  • Patent number: 10053988
    Abstract: An article and method of forming an article are provided. The article includes a body portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining an inner region, and at least one cooling feature positioned within the inner region. The body portion includes a first material and the at least one cooling feature includes a second material, the second material having a higher thermal conductivity than the first material. The method includes manufacturing a body portion by an additive manufacturing technique and manufacturing at least one cooling feature by the additive manufacturing technique. The body portion includes a first material and the at least one cooling feature includes a second material, the second material having a higher thermal conductivity than the first material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gary Michael Itzel, Benjamin Paul Lacy
  • Publication number: 20180223673
    Abstract: A hot gas path component may include a body, and a passage for delivering a coolant extending through at least a part of the body to an exit area of the body. A metering structure may be in fluid communication with the passage and disposed upstream of the exit area. The metering structure may include a converging passage portion followed by a diverging passage portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Christopher Donald Porter, Ibrahim Sezer, James William Vehr
  • Patent number: 10030537
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes an airfoil that extends in span from an inner band to an outer band where the inner band and the outer band define outer flow boundaries of the turbine nozzle. The inner band includes a gas side surface that is at least partially covered by one or more inner plates. The inner band also includes a plurality of cooling channels formed within the gas side surface beneath the one or more inner plates. The outer band includes a gas side surface that is at least partially covered by one or more outer plates. The outer band comprises a plurality of cooling channels formed within the gas side surface beneath the one or more outer plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sandip Dutta, Benjamin Paul Lacy, Joseph Anthony Weber, Peter Galen Stevens
  • Publication number: 20180200800
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods, and tooling for additive manufacturing on a build surface of a pre-existing component. An additive manufacturing tool successively positions layers of powdered materials and selectively fuses the layers of powdered materials to create an additive component on the build surface of the pre-existing component. The pre-existing component is secured in a build plate by a thermal expansion fit during the additive manufacturing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: Kassy Moy Hart, Benjamin Paul Lacy, Archie Lee Swanner, JR.
  • Publication number: 20180178491
    Abstract: An article includes a substrate and a structure of additive manufacturing material of predetermined thickness attached to the substrate, the structure of additive manufacturing material formed by providing a metal alloy powder, forming an initial layer having a preselected thickness and a preselected shape including at least one aperture, with the metal alloy powder, sequentially forming an additional layer with the metal alloy powder over the initial layer, each of additional layers having an additional preselected thickness and an additional preselected shape including an aperture corresponding to the aperture in the initial layer, and joining each of the additional layers to the initial layer or any previously joined additional layers, forming a structure having a predetermined thickness and shape, and an aperture having a predetermined profile. The article includes a passageway through the structure including the aperture and a corresponding metering hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul LACY, David Edward SCHICK, Srikanth Chandrudu KOTTILINGAM
  • Publication number: 20180178288
    Abstract: An article includes a substrate and a structure including direct metal laser melted material of predetermined thickness attached to the substrate, the structure formed by providing and depositing a metal alloy powder to form an initial layer having a preselected thickness and shape including at least one aperture, melting the metal alloy powder with a focused energy source, transforming the powder layer to a sheet of metal alloy, sequentially depositing an additional layer of the metal alloy powder over the sheet of metal alloy, the additional preselected shape including an aperture corresponding to the aperture in the initial layer, and melting each additional layer of the metal alloy powder with the focused energy source, increasing the thickness of the sheet and forming at least one aperture having a predetermined profile, the article further including a passageway through the structure including the aperture and a corresponding metering hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul LACY, David Edward SCHICK, Srikanth Chandrudu KOTTILINGAM
  • Publication number: 20180171802
    Abstract: This disclosure provides components and methods for blade extensions with internal features. An airfoil extends from a root connector and includes an airfoil body defining at least one air channel enclosed within the airfoil body. The air channel extends to a build surface. An additive extension extends from the build surface of the airfoil body. The additive extension includes an additive structure extending the air channel from the build surface to an external surface of the additive extension.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Kassy Moy Hart, Xiuzhang James Zhang
  • Patent number: 9995172
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes an airfoil that extends in span from an inner band to an outer band where the inner band and the outer band define inner and outer flow boundaries of the turbine nozzle. At least one of the inner band and the outer band defines a plurality of cooling channels formed and a coolant discharge plenum beneath a gas side surface of the corresponding inner or outer band that is in fluid communication with the cooling channels. The coolant discharge plenum is formed within the inner band or the outer band downstream from the cooling channels and upstream from a plurality of coolant discharge ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sandip Dutta, Benjamin Paul Lacy, Gary Michael Itzel, Stephen Paul Wassynger
  • Publication number: 20180149028
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a gas turbine engine that includes a hot gas path component having an inner surface and defining a hot gas path component cavity. An impingement insert is positioned within the hot gas path component cavity. The impingement insert includes an inner surface and an outer surface and defines an impingement insert cavity and a plurality of impingement apertures fluidly coupling the impingement insert cavity and the hot gas path component cavity. A plurality of pins extends from the outer surface of the impingement insert to the inner surface of the hot gas path component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: Sandip Dutta, Benjamin Paul Lacy, Gary Michael Itzel, Zachary John Snider
  • Patent number: 9976441
    Abstract: An article and method of forming an article are provided. The article includes a body portion separating an inner region and an outer region, an aperture in the body portion, the aperture fluidly connecting the inner region to the outer region, and a conduit extending from an outer surface of the body portion at the aperture and being arranged and disposed to controllably direct fluid from the inner region to the outer region. The method includes providing a body portion separating an inner region and an outer region, providing an aperture in the body portion, and forming a conduit over the aperture, the conduit extending from an outer surface of the body portion and being arranged and disposed to controllably direct fluid from the inner region to the outer region. The article is arranged and disposed for insertion within a hot gas path component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Gary Michael Itzel, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam, Sandip Dutta, David Edward Schick
  • Patent number: 9970302
    Abstract: A hot gas path component includes a substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface. The inner surface defines an interior space. The outer surface defines a pressure side surface and a suction side surface. The pressure and suction side surfaces are joined together at a leading edge and at a trailing edge. A first cooling passage is formed in the suction side surface of the substrate. It is coupled in flow communication to the interior space. A second cooling passage, separate from the first cooling passage, is formed in the pressure side surface. The second cooling passage is coupled in flow communication to the interior space. A cover is disposed over at least a portion of the first and second cooling passages. The interior space channels a cooling fluid to the first and second cooling passages, which channel the cooling fluid therethrough to remove heat from the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam, Carlos Miguel Miranda, Gary Michael Itzel
  • Publication number: 20180119570
    Abstract: A cooled structure of a gas turbine engine has a main body with a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first side portion, a second side portion, and a cavity. A first set of cooling air micro-channels extends from the cavity and is arranged along the first side portion. A second set of cooling air micro-channels extends from the cavity and is arranged along the second side portion. The first and second set of cooling air micro-channels have turning portions positioned adjacent each other and interwoven exhaust ends originating from each opposing side micro-channel. Each interwoven exhaust end extends around the opposing turning portion and is configured to exhaust cooling air from a plurality of exhaust ports positioned generally radially outward from the turning portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, Christopher Donald Porter, David Edward Schick, Lyndsay Marie Kibler
  • Patent number: 9938899
    Abstract: A hot gas path component includes a substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface. The inner surface of the substrate defines at least one interior space. At least a portion of the outer surface of the substrate includes a recess formed therein. The recess includes a bottom surface and a groove extending at least partially along the bottom surface of the recess. A cover is disposed within the recess and covers at least a portion of the groove. The groove is configured to channel a cooling fluid therethrough to cool the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Carlos Miguel Miranda, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam, Benjamin Paul Lacy
  • Patent number: 9931814
    Abstract: An article and a method for making shaped cooling holes in an article are provided. The method includes the steps of providing a metal alloy powder; forming an initial layer with the metal alloy powder, the initial layer having a preselected thickness and a preselected shape, the preselected shape including at least one aperture; sequentially forming an additional layer over the initial layer with the metal alloy powder, the additional layer having a second preselected thickness and a second preselected shape, the second preselected shape including at least one aperture corresponding to the at least one aperture in the initial layer; and joining the additional layer to the initial layer, forming a structure having a predetermined thickness, a predetermined shape, and at least one aperture having a predetermined profile. The structure is attached to a substrate to make the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Benjamin Paul Lacy, David Edward Schick, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam