Patents by Inventor Zachary John Snider

Zachary John Snider 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).

  • Publication number: 20240035384
    Abstract: A vibration dampening system includes a vibration dampening element for a turbine nozzle or blade. A body opening extends through the turbine nozzle or blade, e.g., through the airfoil among potentially other parts of the nozzle or blade. A vibration dampening element includes a plurality of stacked damper pins within the body opening. The damper pins include an outer body having an inner opening, a first end surface and an opposing second end surface; and an inner body nested and movable within the inner opening of the outer body. The end surfaces frictionally engage to dampen vibration. The inner body has a first central opening including a first portion configured to engage an elongated body therein and an outer surface configured to frictionally engage a portion of the inner opening of the outer body to dampen vibration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, Brad Wilson VanTassel, Brian Denver Potter, John McConnell Delvaux
  • Publication number: 20240035387
    Abstract: A vibration damping system includes a vibration damping element for a turbine nozzle or blade. A body opening extends through the turbine nozzle or blade between the tip end and the base end thereof, e.g., through the airfoil among potentially other parts of the nozzle or blade. A vibration damping element includes a plurality of stacked plate members within the body opening. Each plate member is in surface contact with at least one adjacent plate member to cause friction that dampens vibration of the nozzle or blade. The body opening has an inner dimension, and each plate member has an outer dimension sized to frictionally engage the inner dimension of the body opening to damp vibration. Plate members may each include a central opening therein, and a fixed elongated body or cable may extend through the central openings. The damping element may alternatively include a helical metal ribbon spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, John McConnell Delvaux, James Tyson Balkcum, III, Brian Denver Potter
  • Publication number: 20240026795
    Abstract: A stator vane includes a platform that defines an opening. The stator vane further includes an airfoil that has a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction side wall, and a pressure side wall. The airfoil extends radially between a base and a tip. At least one of the base or the tip includes a protrusion. The protrusion extends into the opening of the platform such that the platform surrounds the protrusion of the airfoil. The stator vane further includes a braze joint disposed between and fixedly coupling the platform and the protrusion of the airfoil. The stator vane further includes a cooling circuit defined in at least one of the protrusion or the platform to cool the braze joint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: Matthew Troy Hafner, John M. Matthews, Zachary John Snider
  • Patent number: 11660673
    Abstract: An additively manufactured (AM) object may include a body including an opening in an exterior surface thereof, the opening having a shape and a first area at the exterior surface of the body. A mask may be positioned over the opening. The mask has the shape of the opening and a second area that is larger than the first area so as to overhang the exterior surface of the body about the opening. A plurality of support ligaments couple to the mask and the exterior surface of the body at a location adjacent to the opening to support a portion of the mask. A coating can be applied to the object, and the mask removed. The final AM object includes a plurality of ligament elements extending from the exterior surface of the body and through the coating adjacent the opening, each ligament element at least partially surrounded by the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Matthew Troy Hafner, Christopher Donald Porter, Zachary John Snider, Jeffrey Clarence Jones
  • Publication number: 20230142974
    Abstract: An additively manufactured (AM) object may include a body including an opening in an exterior surface thereof, the opening having a shape and a first area at the exterior surface of the body. A mask may be positioned over the opening. The mask has the shape of the opening and a second area that is larger than the first area so as to overhang the exterior surface of the body about the opening. A plurality of support ligaments couple to the mask and the exterior surface of the body at a location adjacent to the opening to support a portion of the mask. A coating can be applied to the object, and the mask removed. The final AM object includes a plurality of ligament elements extending from the exterior surface of the body and through the coating adjacent the opening, each ligament element at least partially surrounded by the coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew Troy Hafner, Christopher Donald Porter, Zachary John Snider, Jeffrey Clarence Jones
  • Patent number: 11634991
    Abstract: A vibration damping system for a turbine nozzle or blade includes a body opening extending through a body of the turbine nozzle or blade between a tip end and a base end thereof. Elongated vibration damping element is disposed in the body opening and includes an elongated body having a first, free end and a second end fixed relative to one of the base end and the tip end. At least one wire mesh member surrounds the elongated body. The wire mesh member(s) frictionally engage with an inner surface of the body opening to damp vibration. A related method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, John Mcconnell Delvaux, Robert Frank Hoskin
  • Patent number: 11572791
    Abstract: A vibration damping system for a turbine nozzle or blade includes a vibration damping element including a plurality of contacting members including a plurality of damper pins. Each damper pin includes a body. A wire mesh member surrounds the body of at least one of the plurality of damper pins. The wire mesh member has a first outer dimension sized for frictionally engaging within a body opening in the turbine nozzle or blade to damp vibration. Spacer members devoid of a wire mesh member may also be used. The damper pins can have different sizes to accommodate contiguous body openings of different sizes in the nozzle or blade. The body opening can be angled relative to a radial extent of the nozzle or blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, John McConnell Delvaux
  • Patent number: 11519281
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a turbomachine that includes a hot gas path component having an inner surface and defining a hot gas path component cavity. An impingement insert is positioned within the hot gas path component cavity. The impingement insert includes an inner surface and an outer surface and defines an impingement insert cavity and a plurality of impingement apertures fluidly coupling the impingement insert cavity and the hot gas path component cavity. A plurality of pins extends from the outer surface of the impingement insert to the inner surface of the hot gas path component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sandip Dutta, Benjamin Paul Lacy, Gary Michael Itzel, Zachary John Snider
  • Patent number: 11519276
    Abstract: A vibration damping element for a vibration damping system for a turbine nozzle or blade includes an elongated body and a wire mesh member that surrounds the elongated body. The wire mesh member has a first outer dimension in an inoperative state and a second, larger outer dimension in an operative state. In the operative state, the wire mesh member frictionally engages with an inner surface of a body opening in the turbine nozzle or blade to damp vibration. In the inoperative state, the wire mesh member slides freely in the body opening in the turbine nozzle or blade. A retention system includes a retention member on the elongated body that fixes the wire mesh member relative to a length of the elongated body in the operative state in the body opening of the turbine nozzle or blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, John McConnell Delvaux
  • Patent number: 11492908
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade root is additively manufactured and includes a shank having a radially extending chamber defined therein. A blade mount is at a radial inner end of the shank. The blade mount has a hollow interior defined therein with the hollow interior in fluid communication with the radially extending chamber. A lattice support structure is disposed within the hollow interior of the blade mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Zachary John Snider
  • Patent number: 11466581
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle assembly system includes a plurality of nozzle sets, where each nozzle set forms an annulus. The nozzles in each set include an inner endwall and an outer endwall that include joint openings to receive the respective endwall mount ends of an airfoil. The airfoils across the plurality of nozzle sets have an inner endwall mount end and an outer endwall mount end that are identical amongst the plurality of nozzle sets. A wing portion of the airfoil has a selected wing shape that is identical within the respective nozzle set but different amongst the plurality of nozzle sets. In this manner, the endwalls can be removed from an airfoil and replaced with an airfoil having a different wing shape that provides a different pairwise throat area. The system allows changing of a pairwise throat area for a nozzle set without replacing the entirety of each nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, Adam John Fredmonski, Matthew Troy Hafner
  • Patent number: 11434767
    Abstract: An embodiment of an independent cooling circuit for selectively delivering cooling fluid to a component of a gas turbine system includes: at least one coolant feed channel fluidly coupled to a supply of cooling fluid; and an interconnected circuit of cooling channels, including: an interconnected circuit of cooling channels embedded within an exterior wall of the component; an impingement plate; and a plurality of feed tubes connecting the impingement plate to the exterior wall of the component and fluidly coupling a supply of cooling fluid to the interconnected circuit of cooling channels; wherein the cooling fluid flows through the plurality of feed tubes into the interconnected circuit of cooling channels only in response to a formation of a breach in the exterior wall of the component that exposes at least one of the cooling channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Matthew Troy Hafner, Lyndsay Marie Kibler, Brad Wilson VanTassel, Benjamin Paul Lacy, Zachary John Snider, Christopher Donald Porter, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam
  • Publication number: 20220212402
    Abstract: Additively manufactured components including unitary bodies. The component may include a unitary body having a component section. The component section may include at least one passage extending at least partially through the component section. The unitary body may also include a supplemental section formed integral with the component section. The supplemental section may be disposed over the passage(s) of the component section and may include a channel extending at least partially through the supplemental section. The channel may be in fluid communication with the passage(s) of the component section. Additionally, the unitary body may include a transition conduit positioned within the component section and the supplemental section. The transition conduit may extend between the passage(s) of the component section and the channel of the supplemental section to fluidly couple the passage(s) and the channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, Michael Scott Soden, Michael Robert Berry
  • Patent number: 11313237
    Abstract: A conforming coating mask is used with a turbine component having a plurality of cooling holes. The conforming coating mask includes at least two anchors; a plurality of radial mask strips integrally formed with and extending between each of the at least two anchors; and at least one coating mask securing insert. Each at least one coating mask securing insert integrally formed with a respective at least one radial mask strip; wherein the plurality of radial mask strips align with and cover the plurality of cooling holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Clarence Jones, Zachary John Snider, Christopher Donald Porter, Brad Wilson VanTassel
  • Publication number: 20220118514
    Abstract: An additively manufactured (AM) object may include a body including an opening in an exterior surface thereof, the opening having a shape and a first area at the exterior surface of the body. A mask may be positioned over the opening. The mask has the shape of the opening and a second area that is larger than the first area so as to overhang the exterior surface of the body about the opening. A plurality of support ligaments couple to the mask and the exterior surface of the body at a location adjacent to the opening to support a portion of the mask. A coating can be applied to the object, and the mask removed. The final AM object includes a plurality of ligament elements extending from the exterior surface of the body and through the coating adjacent the opening, each ligament element at least partially surrounded by the coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: Matthew Troy Hafner, Christopher Donald Porter, Zachary John Snider, Jeffrey Clarence Jones
  • Patent number: 11248471
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade is additively manufactured and includes an airfoil body including a concave pressure side outer wall and a convex suction side outer wall that connect along leading and trailing edges. A shank is at a radial inner end of the airfoil body, and at least one angel wing extends laterally from at least one side of the shank. A coolant transfer passage is defined through the at least one angel wing. The coolant transfer passage fluidly couples a first wheel space portion defined between the shank and a first adjacent shank of a first adjacent turbine rotor blade and a second wheel space portion defined between the shank and a second adjacent shank of a second adjacent turbine rotor blade. The coolant transfer passage allows coolant to pass between wheel space portions of adjacent turbine rotor blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Zachary John Snider
  • Patent number: 11242760
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade is additively manufactured and includes an airfoil body with a radially extending chamber for receiving a coolant flow, a tip end at a radial outer end of the airfoil body, and a shank at a radial inner end of the airfoil body. The radially extending chamber extends at least partially into the shank to define a shank inner surface. An integral impingement cooling structure is within the radially extending chamber. The integral impingement cooling structure allows an exterior surface of a hollow body thereof to be uniformly spaced from the airfoil inner surface despite the curvature of the chamber. The turbine rotor blade has impingement cooling throughout the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, Brad Wilson VanTassel, Jeffrey Clarence Jones
  • Patent number: 11220916
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade is additively manufactured and includes an airfoil body with a radially extending chamber for receiving a coolant flow. A platform extends laterally outward relative to the airfoil body and terminates at at least one slash face. A cooling circuit is within the platform and is in fluid communication with a source of the coolant flow. Cooling passage(s) are in the platform and in fluid communication with the cooling circuit. The cooling passage(s) extend in a non-linear configuration from the cooling circuit to exit through the at least one slash face of the platform, providing improved cooling compared to linear cooling passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Zachary John Snider
  • Patent number: 11215074
    Abstract: A flow regulating system for increasing a flow of cooling fluid supplied to a cooling system of a component of a gas turbine system is provided. The flow regulating system includes: a pneumatic circuit embedded within a section of the component, the pneumatic circuit including a set of interconnected pneumatic passages; and a pressure-actuated switch fluidly coupled to the pneumatic circuit. The pressure-actuated switch is activated in response to a formation of a breach in the section of the component and an exposure of at least one of the pneumatic passages of the pneumatic circuit embedded in the section of the component. The activation of the pressure-actuated switch increases the flow of cooling fluid supplied to the cooling system of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zachary John Snider, Matthew Troy Hafner, Lyndsay Marie Kibler
  • Patent number: 11192207
    Abstract: A passage incorporated into an additively manufactured object, the object and a related method are disclosed. The object has an additive manufacture build direction. The passage includes: a first portion aligned along an axis oriented less than approximately 45° from the build direction; and a second portion aligned along an axis oriented greater than approximately 45° from the build direction, the second portion including at least one self-supporting top surface portion including at least one edge aligned no greater than approximately 45° from the build direction. The passage having varying cross-sectional shape along a non-linear length accommodates additive manufacture regardless of build direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Clarence Jones, Zachary John Snider