Patents by Inventor William Carl Ruehr

William Carl Ruehr 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: 8172518
    Abstract: A method for assembling a rotor assembly and a rotor assembly are provided. The method comprises providing a rotor blade including a first sidewall, a second sidewall, where the first and second sidewalls are connected at a leading edge and a trailing edge and extend in span from a root portion to a tip portion, removing blade material from the tip portion to form a tip portion rake angle that enables the tip portion to extend obliquely between the first and second sidewalls, and coupling the rotor blade to a shaft such that during tip rubs the tip portion rake angle facilitates reducing radial loading induced to the blade during tip rubs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William Carl Ruehr, Michael Harvey Schneider, Sunil Kumar Sinha, Jay L. Cornell
  • Publication number: 20080159869
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method for assembling a rotor assembly is provided. The method comprises providing a rotor blade including a first sidewall, a second sidewall, where the first and second sidewalls are connected at a leading edge and a trailing edge and extend in span from a root portion to a tip portion, removing blade material from the tip portion to form a tip portion rake angle that enables the tip portion to extend obliquely between the first and second sidewalls, and coupling the rotor blade to a shaft such that during tip rubs the tip portion rake angle facilitates reducing radial loading induced to the blade during tip rubs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Inventors: William Carl Ruehr, Michael Harvey Schneider, Sunil Kumar Sinha, Jay L. Cornell
  • Patent number: 7328623
    Abstract: A sensor assembly includes a housing and a tube. The housing has a first leading edge portion which is capable of being located in a compressor/fan inlet flow path and which includes an interior wall section. The tube has a proximal portion including an air inlet which is adapted to receive a compressor bleed air flow and a distal portion which is located in the housing and which includes at least one air outlet hole. The hole is spaced apart from the interior wall section and is aligned to direct at least some compressor bleed air flow to impinge against the interior wall section. The housing includes an opening which receives air from the flow path when the housing is located in the flow path, wherein the opening is adapted for fluid communication with a sensor, and wherein the sensor measures at least one of air temperature and air pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jason Corey Slagle, William Carl Ruehr, Jared Stephan Ashley, James Warren Hackler, Jansen James Litter, Meiyun Li, John Clisby Blanton
  • Patent number: 6908285
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for assembling a rotatable machine is provided. The machine includes a plurality of blades that extend radially outwardly from a rotor. The method includes determining a moment weight of each blade in a row of blades, determining a geometric parameter of each blade in the same row of blades, and determining a mapping order of each blade using the moment weight and the geometric parameter. The apparatus includes a computer system that includes a software product code segment for minimizing imbalance in a bladed rotor wherein the segment is configured to receive a moment weight value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, receive a geometric parameter value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, calculate a blade location on the rotor based on the received values, and generate a blade map based on the calculated location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Richard Henning, Gert J. van der Merwe, William Carl Ruehr, Daniel Edward Mollmann
  • Publication number: 20040202544
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for assembling a rotatable machine is provided. The machine includes a plurality of blades that extend radially outwardly from a rotor. The method includes determining a moment weight of each blade in a row of blades, determining a geometric parameter of each blade in the same row of blades, and determining a mapping order of each blade using the moment weight and the geometric parameter. The apparatus includes a computer system that includes a software product code segment for minimizing imbalance in a bladed rotor wherein the segment is configured to receive a moment weight value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, receive a geometric parameter value for each blade to be installed in said rotor, calculate a blade location on the rotor based on the received values, and generate a blade map based on the calculated location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Inventors: Thomas Richard Henning, Gert J. van der Merwe, William Carl Ruehr, Daniel Edward Mollman
  • Patent number: 6382905
    Abstract: A casing for the fan section of an aircraft gas turbine engine of the turbofan type. The casing includes an inner filler material and is defined by an outer shell and an inner liner that is spaced radially inwardly from the outer shell. The inner liner is held in position relative to the outer shell by a plurality of radially-inwardly-extending support pins. The pins are carried by the outer shell and are slidably received in and extend at least partially into the inner liner. The support pins retain the inner liner against axial and rotational movement relative to the outer shell, while allowing relative radial movement therebetween in response to thermal expansion and contraction, as well as in response to aircraft maneuver loads imposed on the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Paul Czachor, William Carl Ruehr