Abstract: A lightweight, impact-resistant gas turbine blade, such as an aircraft engine fan blade, has a metal solid section, composite or structural/syntactic foam segments, and metal solid spars all attached together to define an airfoil portion. The solid section includes the leading edge, blade tip, and trailing edge. The segments together are bounded in part by the solid section near the leading edge, blade tip, and trailing edge. The solid spars separate and are attached to the segments.

Abstract: The invention concerns aircraft propellers of the variable pitch type. Each propeller blade is carried by a trunnion which is rotatably mounted to a common ring. Each trunnion contains a reduction gear set which is driven by a radial shaft. The reduction gear sets multiply the torque applied by the shafts, thus allowing shafts of reduced diameter to be used. The reduced diameter is important when the shafts must pass through a turbine flowpath, and thus be concealed within turbine blades. The reduced diameter shafts can be easily concealed within turbine blades without redesigning and compromising blade aerodynamics.

Abstract: A conveyor apparatus for carrying workpieces on flat trays has two parallel chains with tray supports connected at equal intervals between the two chains. Each tray support has a clamping device for clamping and releasing flat silicone rubber covered trays against itself. Cams are located between the chains to operate the clamping device to release the tray (for travel through a separate path) at one point in travel and later (when the tray returns from its separate path) to clamp it again. The conveyor is shown as combined with up-and-down elevator means in an oven to give a boustrophedontic path to a plurality of workpieces being heated on trays in the oven: the trays are released and clamped at the entrance to and exit from the oven to allow movement of the trays by the elevators through up and down paths at the release and clamping stations.