Patents by Inventor Robert H. Zipps

Robert H. Zipps 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).

  • Frangible fan blade
    Patent number: 6146099
    Abstract: A fan in an axial flow gas turbine engine includes a plurality of fan blades. Each fan blade includes an airfoil portion and a root portion with a platform disposed radially therebetween. The platform of each blade extends circumferentially from the blade and is dimensioned to define, with an adjacent platform, an enlarged gap to insure that contact between adjacent platforms is avoided when a blade is released during a blade loss condition. A seal is provided to seal the enlarged gap between adjacent platforms during normal operation of the gas turbine engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert H. Zipps, Reginald H. Spaulding, Edward S. Todd, Robert F. Kasprow, Herman C. Klapproth, Douglas A. Welch, Phyllis L. Kurz, Joseph J. Cafasso
  • Frangible fan blade
    Patent number: 5836744
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a fan blade in an axial gas turbine engine. The blade platform is constructed to fracture adjacent the airfoil portion of the blade so as to locate the fractured edge of the platform in the root portion. As a result of this benign platform, damage to successive fan blades during a blade loss condition is reduced. In addition, various construction details are developed in the airfoil and root portion of the fan blade to reduce damage to fan blades during impact with adjacent blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert H. Zipps, Reginald H. Spaulding, Edward S. Todd, Robert F. Kasprow, Herman C. Klapproth, Douglas A. Welch, Phyllis L. Kurz, Joseph J. Cafasso
  • Compressor part span shroud
    Patent number: 4798519
    Abstract: A compressor blade assembly for a compressor operating at transonic or supersonic blade speeds has a part span shroud. The shroud is twisted having a first angle in the direction of airflow on one side of the shock wave and a second angle in the direction of airflow on the other side of the shock wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1989
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert H. Zipps, Kent A. Lyons, Evans E. Griffin
  • Fan rotor blades of turbofan engines
    Patent number: 4621979
    Abstract: The present invention provides improvements to fan rotor blades of turbofan gas turbine engines. Increased low cycle fatigue life is sought, and a specific object is to obtain a more nearly uniform chordwise distribution of maximum stress levels across the root sections of fan blades.In one effective embodiment incorporating concepts of the present invention the root section of a fan blade is contoured to an arcuate geometry which approximates the contour of the airfoil cross section at the inner wall of the working medium flowpath. Further contour specifications for reducing local stress levels are discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1986
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert H. Zipps, Chester H. Rynaski, Graham B. Fulton