Patents by Inventor Sean Robert Keith

Sean Robert Keith 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: 6592330
    Abstract: A dovetail assembly including non-parallel relief faces that facilitates reduced pressure face brinelling in turbine engines. The assembly includes a plurality of rotor blades, each including a dovetail. Each dovetail includes at least a pair of blade tangs including blade relief faces. The dovetail assembly also includes a rotor disk including a plurality of dovetail slots, each sized to receive a dovetail. Each dovetail slot is defined by at least one pair of opposing disk tangs including disk relief faces. The disk relief faces are non-parallel to the blade relief faces when the dovetail is mounted in the dovetail slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Jr., Robert Ingram Ackerman, Richard William Albrecht, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20030129055
    Abstract: A turbine includes a row of blades each having an integral airfoil, platform, and dovetail. Each platform has opposite first and second side edges corresponding with the opposite pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. The platform first side edge is radially higher than the platform second side edge continuously between opposite forward and aft edges of the platform. In this way, adjacent platforms define a down step therebetween for preventing obstruction of combustion gases flowable downstream thereover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Lawrence Paul Timko
  • Patent number: 6554575
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade includes pressure and suction sides extending between leading and trailing edges and root to tip. The pressure side includes a tip rib recessed therein to define a tip shelf terminating in an inclined ramp. The ramp may be aligned with streamlines of combustion gas flow for preventing interruption thereof and the increase of heat transfer therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Jr., Dean Thomas Lenahan, David Alan Frey, Daniel John Harris
  • Patent number: 6551062
    Abstract: A hollow cooled turbine airfoil is provided having pressure and suction side walls and a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages that feed cooling air bleed slots at the trailing edge. The suction side wall has a selectively reduced thickness, which allows shortened trailing edge slots, improving trailing edge cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene McRae, Jr., Richard William Albrecht, Jr., David Alan Frey
  • Publication number: 20030059304
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade includes pressure and suction sides extending between leading and trailing edges and root to tip. The pressure side includes a tip rib recessed therein to define a tip shelf terminating in an inclined ramp. The ramp may be aligned with streamlines of combustion gas flow for preventing interruption thereof and the increase of heat transfer therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2001
    Publication date: March 27, 2003
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Dean Thomas Lenahan, Daniel John Harris, David Allen Frey
  • Publication number: 20030044279
    Abstract: A hollow cooled turbine airfoil is provided having pressure and suction side walls and a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages that feed cooling air bleed slots at the trailing edge. The suction side wall has a selectively reduced thickness, which allows shortened trailing edge slots, improving trailing edge cooling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene McRae, Richard William Albrecht, David Alan Frey
  • Publication number: 20030044284
    Abstract: A dovetail assembly including non-parallel relief faces that facilitates reduced pressure face brinelling in turbine engines. The assembly includes a plurality of rotor blades, each including a dovetail. Each dovetail includes at least a pair of blade tangs including blade relief faces. The dovetail assembly also includes a rotor disk including a plurality of dovetail slots, each sized to receive a dovetail. Each dovetail slot is defined by at least one pair of opposing disk tangs including disk relief faces. The disk relief faces are non-parallel to the blade relief faces when the dovetail is mounted in the dovetail slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Robert Ingram Ackerman, Richard William Albrecht
  • Publication number: 20030044276
    Abstract: A hollow cooled turbine airfoil is provided having pressure and suction side walls and a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages that feed cooling air bleed slots at the trailing edge. The airfoil trailing edge is selectively thickened in the root portion so as to allow shortened trailing edge slots, thereby improving trailing edge cooling and reducing mechanical and thermal stresses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Lawrence Paul Timko, David Alan Frey
  • Publication number: 20030044275
    Abstract: A hollow cooled turbine airfoil is provided having pressure and suction side walls and a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages that feed cooling air bleed slots at the trailing edge. The suction side wall has a selectively reduced thickness, which allows shortened trailing edge slots, improving trailing edge cooling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene McRae, Richard William Albrecht, David Alan Frey
  • Patent number: 6428273
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes vanes joined to outer and inner bands. Each vane includes opposite sidewalls extending between leading and trailing edges, with an internal bridge extending between the sidewalls to effect forward and aft cavities. Side ribs extend along the sidewalls and project inwardly into the cavities. Each of the side ribs is truncated adjacent the bridge to uncouple the ribs therefrom and increase nozzle life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Mark Edward Stegemiller, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Publication number: 20020090294
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes vanes joined to outer and inner bands. Each vane includes opposite sidewalls extending between leading and trailing edges, with an internal bridge extending between the sidewalls to effect forward and aft cavities. Side ribs extend along the sidewalls and project inwardly into the cavities. Each of the side ribs is truncated adjacent the bridge to uncouple the ribs therefrom and increase nozzle life.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Publication date: July 11, 2002
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Mark Edward Stegemiller, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 6382908
    Abstract: A nozzle vane includes a row of trailing edge apertures and cooperating inboard slots joined in flow communication with a mid-chord cavity. An outboard slot is spaced outwardly from a respective last one of the inboard slots, and outboard of a respective last one of the trailing edge apertures. The outboard slot extends behind a fillet between the vane and a supporting band and is effective for backside cooling thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Judd Dodge Tressler, Steven Robert Brassfield, John Peter Heyward