Patents by Inventor Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR.

Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR. 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: 9175569
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes in the pressure sidewall end at corresponding spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling slots extending chordally substantially to the trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes in downstream serial cooling flow relationship, a curved inlet, a constant area and constant width metering section, and a spanwise diverging section leading into the trailing edge cooling slot, and a spanwise height substantially greater than a hole width through the cooling hole. A pressure sidewall surface of the pressure sidewall may be planar through the metering and diverging sections. The width may be constant through the metering and diverging sections. A raised floor may include a flat up ramp in the diverging section, a flat down ramp in the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, Jr., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Patent number: 9145773
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes in pressure sidewall end at corresponding spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling slots extending chordally substantially to trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes an asymmetric flow cross section through one or more asymmetric intermediate sections leading into slot. Flow cross section is asymmetric with respect to a mid-plane extending axially and spanwise through intermediate sections. Different trailing edge cooling holes may include different asymmetric flow cross sections. Lands may extend between the cooling slots. A raised floor may extend away from at least one of pressure or suction sidewalls at least partially through one or more asymmetric intermediate sections and optionally at least partially through cooling slot. Raised floor may include up and down ramps and a flat transition section between ramps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, Jr., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Patent number: 9017026
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes in the pressure sidewall end at corresponding spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling slots extending chordally substantially to the trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes a plug extending downstream through at least a portion of a spanwise diverging section leading into the slot. The plug may be spanwise centered in the hole and may include a plug dome rising up from a plug base extending along a suction sidewall surface of the suction sidewall. The cooling hole may further include an inlet leading to a metering section with a constant area and constant width flow cross section upstream of spanwise diverging section. Lands may be disposed between the trailing edge cooling slots forming slot floors between lands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, Jr., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Publication number: 20130302177
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine turbine airfoil having pressure and suction sidewalls extending outwardly along a span and chordwise between opposite leading and trailing edges. A spanwise row of spaced apart bifurcated trailing edge cooling holes encased in the pressure sidewall end at corresponding trailing edge cooling slots extending chordally substantially to the trailing edge. Axially extending inter-hole partitions separate the cooling holes. An inlet between adjacent pairs of the inter-hole partitions includes a divergent inlet section. An axial intra-hole partition bifurcates the cooling hole into diverging upper and lower diverging sections downstream and aft of the divergent inlet section. A forward end of the intra-hole partition divides an aft end of the divergent inlet section into upper and lower inlet flowpaths leading to the upper and lower diverging sections leading into the trailing edge cooling slots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Publication number: 20130302179
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes disposed in pressure sidewall. All or a plurality of cooling holes end at a trailing edge cooling slot extending chordally substantially to an airfoil trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes a curved inlet, a metering section with a constant area and constant width flow cross section, and a spanwise diverging section leading into slot. Axial partitions extend chordally between and radially separate cooling holes along span. Aft ends of partitions include swept boat tails. Upper and lower deck sidewalls spanwise bound a deck of slot and extend outward to an external surface of pressure sidewall. Fillets between sidewalls and deck have fillet radii substantially the same size as bottom corner radii of flow cross section of diverging sections adjacent bottom corner radii.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Publication number: 20130302176
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes in pressure sidewall end at a trailing edge cooling slot extending chordally substantially to an airfoil trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes a curved inlet, a metering section with a constant area and constant width flow cross section, and a spanwise diverging section leading into slot. Axial partitions extend chordally between and radially separate cooling holes along span. Aft ends of partitions include swept boat tails. Upper and lower deck sidewalls spanwise bound a deck of slot and extend outward to an external surface of pressure sidewall. Fillets between sidewalls and deck have fillet radii substantially the same size as bottom corner radii of flow cross section of diverging sections adjacent bottom corner radii.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Publication number: 20130302178
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes in pressure sidewall end at corresponding spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling slots extending chordally substantially to trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes an asymmetric flow cross section through one or more asymmetric intermediate sections leading into slot. Flow cross section is asymmetric with respect to a mid-plane extending axially and spanwise through intermediate sections. Different trailing edge cooling holes may include different asymmetric flow cross sections. Lands may extend between the cooling slots. A raised floor may extend away from at least one of pressure or suction sidewalls at least partially through one or more asymmetric intermediate sections and optionally at least partially through cooling slot. Raised floor may include up and down ramps and a flat transition section between ramps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Publication number: 20130259645
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes in the pressure sidewall end at corresponding spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling slots extending chordally substantially to the trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes in downstream serial cooling flow relationship, a curved inlet, a constant area and constant width metering section, and a spanwise diverging section leading into the trailing edge cooling slot, and a spanwise height substantially greater than a hole width through the cooling hole. A pressure sidewall surface of the pressure sidewall may be planar through the metering and diverging sections. The width may be constant through the metering and diverging sections. A raised floor may include a flat up ramp in the diverging section, a flat down ramp in the slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR., Daniel Lee Durstock
  • Publication number: 20130259705
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls extending along a span from a base to a tip. Spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling holes in the pressure sidewall end at corresponding spanwise spaced apart trailing edge cooling slots extending chordally substantially to the trailing edge. Each cooling hole includes a plug extending downstream through at least a portion of a spanwise diverging section leading into the slot. The plug may be spanwise centered in the hole and may include a plug dome rising up from a plug base extending along a suction sidewall surface of the suction sidewall. The cooling hole may further include an inlet leading to a metering section with a constant area and constant width flow cross section upstream of spanwise diverging section. Lands may be disposed between the trailing edge cooling slots forming slot floors between lands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Frederick Bergholz, JR., Daniel Lee Durstock