Patents by Inventor Terry T. Eckert

Terry T. Eckert 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: 5280736
    Abstract: A balancing assembly for a gas turbine hollow drive shaft is disclosed. The balance assembly includes an expandable balance weight carrier and a device for expanding the carrier inside the hollow drive shaft. In a preferred embodiment the carrier comprises a split ring with a plurality of apertures at which balance weights can be received. Combinations of balance weights can be located around the carrier ring to establish an imbalance correction on the carrier. The carrier can then be positioned inside the shaft and expanded against the shaft with the imbalance correction directed opposite the shaft imbalance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 25, 1994
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard A. Wesling, Terry T. Eckert, Phillip W. Rambo
  • Patent number: 5215435
    Abstract: A labyrinth seal having a static honeycomb land and a toothed rotary land, an angled passage is formed in the honeycomb land to communicate cooling air from the static vane region of the interstage HP section of the turbine into the aft cavity which is bounded by the rotating stage two blade whereby the exiting cooling air will acquire a velocity component which is in the same direction as the rotating stage two blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Alan L. Webb, Terry T. Eckert
  • Patent number: 5205189
    Abstract: A balancing assembly for a gas turbine hollow drive shaft is disclosed. The balance assembly includes an expandable balance weight carrier and means for expanding the carrier inside the hollow drive shaft. In a preferred embodiment the carrier comprises a split ring with a plurality of apertures at which balance weights can be received. Combinations of balance weights can be located around the carrier ring to establish an imbalance correction on the carrier. The carrier can then be positioned inside the shaft and expanded against the shaft with the imbalance correction directed opposite the shaft imbalance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Richard A. Wesling, Terry T. Eckert, Phillip W. Rambo
  • Patent number: 5197853
    Abstract: A shroud support for use in a gas turbine engine having a foot section which is equipped with two continuous rails which extend in a circumferential manner forming a gap between them. The rails contact a foot section of a shroud and prevent cooling air from leaking from a plenum formed by the shroud support to a position to the aft of the foot sections of the shroud and shroud support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Clifford S. Creevy, Terry T. Eckert
  • Patent number: 5188506
    Abstract: An assembly for preventing cooling air from leaking from a plenum region formed by a shroud support and a shroud. The shroud support and shroud being so connected as to form a gap which leads from the plenum region to a cavity. The cavity being located in the forward hook region of the shroud support. A rope seal fills the cavity and prevents cooling air from leaking into the cavity causing the cooling air to remain in the plenum region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Clifford S. Creevy, Terry T. Eckert
  • Patent number: 4303371
    Abstract: A continuous 360.degree. impingement baffle is attached directly to a shroud support structure such that the combination provides a low-leakage, high pressure plenum for supplying impingement airflow to the turbine rotor shroud for cooling purposes. After impingement, the air is at a low-pressure and is free to feed the conventional leakage paths with little loss of system efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1981
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Terry T. Eckert
  • Patent number: 4071194
    Abstract: A cooling arrangement for a gas turbine exhaust nozzle is provided which ludes a plurality of heat shield panels slidably positioned on tracks mounted on the nozzle casing. The panels are spaced apart to permit thermal expansion and include impingement baffles which are attached thereto intermediate the panels and the casing. Holes in the impingement baffles direct cooling air against the interior surface of the panels. The cooling air is directed by suitable means such as slots or film holes to form a film of cooling air along the surface of the panels exposed to hot gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1978
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Terry T. Eckert, Edward C. McDonough
  • Patent number: 3934322
    Abstract: A cooling slot for passing cooling fluid through a heated plate such as an airfoil blade for use in gas turbine engines is created by forming a first plurality of passages within the blade, and then forming a second plurality of passages within the blade, wherein preselected of the passages of the second plurality intersect at least one of the passages of the first plurality to define a number of nodes between the points of intersection. When cooling fluid is passed through the blade, the nodes act as turbulence promoters and area increasers for improving convective heat transfer between the blade and the cooling fluid.This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 219,005 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,295 issued June 25, 1974 filed Sept. 21, 1972 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1974
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1976
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ambrose A. Hauser, Terry T. Eckert, James D. McDonel