Having Brace Means Bridging Cavity Patents (Class 416/233)
  • Patent number: 8906181
    Abstract: A method of finishing a fan blade includes bonding a sheath and a cover to an aluminum fan blade with an airfoil, a root, a leading edge and a tip; imparting residual stresses onto the blade; coating the blade to protect exposed areas of the blade; and curing the blade in low-temperature cure cycles to preserve residual stresses imparted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: James O. Hansen, Sr., Jesse Meyer, Christopher J. Hertel
  • Publication number: 20140356182
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade (162) and a method of forming a wind turbine blade. The method includes: forming an inner segment (10) of an airfoil, leaving a portion (16) of an inner weave (12) extending from the inner segment; forming an outer segment (18) of the airfoil, leaving a portion (24) of an outer weave (20) extending from the outer segment; overlapping the extending portion of the inner weave with the extending portion of the outer weave; infusing the overlapped extending portions with additional resin; and curing the additional resin to form a monolithic airfoil (160).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventor: JOHN M. OBRECHT
  • Patent number: 8876484
    Abstract: A turbine blade comprises an airfoil having a pressure side and a suction side, and extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge. The airfoil has a tip remote from a mounting root, and a pocket extending inwardly of the tip. The pocket has spaced walls with one wall associated with the pressure side of the airfoil, and an opposed wall associated with the suction side. A pin extends across the pocket and connects the opposed walls. A slot is formed in the pin at a location intermediate ends of the pin which connect to the opposed walls. A method for identifying a location for the pin along a distance between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the pocket utilizes a modal analysis, and seeks to find a location where both a reaction force and a moment are lower than they might be at other locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Loc Quang Duong, Xiaolan Hu, Anthony C. Jones
  • Patent number: 8870546
    Abstract: Edgewise stiffness of a wind turbine blade is enhanced by arranging a tension element between anchor points at the ends of a load bearing member in the turbine blade such as a spar or a beam. The tension element is spaced away from the load bearing member on the trailing edge side of the load bearing member by struts and acts as a suspension cable. Several tension elements may be used and a similar tension element may be arranged on the leading edge side of the load bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Inventor: Carsten Hein Westergaard
  • Patent number: 8851851
    Abstract: Large diameter axial Super Low Noise flow fans and commercial air cooled apparatuses incorporating such fans are provided. The large diameter axial flow fan is mounted on the air cooled apparatus for generating an axial air flow in the air cooled apparatus for accomplishing the cooling. The fan has a diameter of at least four feet. The fan has plurality of blades. Each blade includes a leading edge opposite a trailing edge. The entire of the leading edge of each of the blades is linear and forward swept, and each blade includes a metallic outer surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Moore Fans LLC
    Inventor: John D. Moore
  • Patent number: 8851856
    Abstract: A rotor blade has a chord and a span length perpendicular to the chord. The rotor blade includes a first skin having an inner surface and a first plurality of elements extending from the inner surface. The first plurality of elements are distributed along at least a portion of the span length and inclined with respect to the chord of the rotor blade. A second skin is attached to the first skin so as to form an outer surface of the rotor blade. The second skin has a second plurality of elements extending towards the inner surface of the first skin and engaging with the first plurality of elements to form a plurality of ribs within the rotor blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Rohr, Inc.
    Inventor: John Frederick Vertel
  • Publication number: 20140286785
    Abstract: A method of producing an airfoil is provided. The method includes forming a steel airfoil preform with a pocket on at least one of the pressure and suction surfaces, forming a cover plate for the pocket and welding the cover plate over the pocket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: General Electric Company
  • Publication number: 20140241897
    Abstract: A fan blade includes first and second titanium portions that are secured to one another with an aluminum alloy braze. A method of manufacturing a fan blade includes providing first and second titanium portions, applying an aluminum alloy braze to at least one of the first and second titanium portions, and heating the fan blade to melt the aluminum alloy braze and join the first and second portions to one another to provide a fan blade with an airfoil exterior contour.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Patent number: 8807924
    Abstract: A fan blade has a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Channels are formed into the main body from at least one open side. A plurality of ribs extend across the main body intermediate the channels. The fan blade has a dovetail, and an airfoil extending radially outwardly from the dovetail. The channels have a termination end adjacent a radially inner end of the ribs. The termination end is formed along a complex fillet with a first radius of curvature formed at the termination end, and a second radius of curvature merging into sides of the ribs. The second radius of curvature is greater than the first radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher S. McKaveney, James R. Murdock
  • Patent number: 8807953
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reinforced blade for a wind turbine, particularly to a blade having at least one elongated reinforcing member connected inside the shell for increasing the strength of the blade, each of the at least one elongated reinforcing member having a first end and a second end and extending in a longitudinal direction between the first end and the second end and wherein the first end is connected to the upper part of the shell and the second end is connected to the lower part of the shell thereby decreasing peeling and shear stresses in the trailing edge of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Bladena ApS
    Inventor: Find Mølholt Jensen
  • Patent number: 8807925
    Abstract: A fan blade has a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Channels are formed into the main body from at least one open side. A plurality of ribs extend across the main body intermediate the channels. The fan blade has a dovetail, and an airfoil extends radially outwardly from the dovetail. The ribs having a thickness defined as measured from said leading edge toward said trailing edge. The ribs have break-edges at ends of the thickness that extend away from an outer face of the rib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher S. McKaveney, James R. Murdock
  • Patent number: 8801367
    Abstract: A fan blade has a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Channels are formed into the main body from an open side extending toward an opposed closed side. A plurality of ribs extending across the main body intermediate the channels, the fan blade has a dovetail, and an airfoil extending radially outwardly from said dovetail. A bottom surface of the channels is defined at the closed side of the channels. Sides of the channel merge into sides of the ribs, with a compound fillet at the bottom surface. A first radius of curvature is used along the bottom, and merging into at least a second radius of curvature at the sides. The first radius of curvature is larger than the second radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Weisse, Christopher S. McKaveney
  • Patent number: 8777579
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of manufacturing a spar (1) for a wind turbine blade. The method comprises steps of providing at least two caps (2a, 2b), each cap forming an intermediate portion (4) between two end portions (5), where the end portions each forms a cap joint surface portion (6) along a longitudinal extending edge of the end portion and the intermediate portion forms an outer surface portion (7) of the spar, providing at least two webs (3a, 3b), each web being provided with web joint surface portions (8) along opposite and longitudinally extending edges, and connecting the joint surface portions of the caps with the joint surface portions of the webs to form a tubular configuration of the spar. The intermediate portions and the end portions are provided so that they comprise different materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Mark Hancock, Andrew Hedges, Tomas Vronsky
  • Publication number: 20140140855
    Abstract: Segmented wind turbine blades with truss connection regions, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A wind turbine system in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a wind turbine with a first segment having a first position along the longitudinal axis and having a first internal load-bearing structure for which non-truss structure elements carry at least 90% of the shear loads in the first segment. The blade further includes a second segment having a second position along the longitudinal axis and having a second internal load-bearing structure for which non-truss structure elements carry at least 90% of the shear loads in the first segment. A connection region between the first and second segments includes an internal load-bearing truss structure connected between the first internal load-bearing structure and the second internal load-bearing structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Inventor: Modular Wind Energy, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20140119937
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a wind turbine includes an internal support structure extending span-wise from a blade root to a blade tip. A plurality of ribs are fixed to and spaced along the internal support structure, with each rib extending in a generally chord-wise direction and having a generally aerodynamic blade contour. A plurality of chord-wise oriented fabric strips are affixed to the ribs in a tensioned state, wherein the fabric strips define an aerodynamic outer skin of the rotor blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Biao Fang, Steven Haines Olson, Wendy Wen-Ling Lin, Sriram Krishnamurthy, Balaji Haridasu, Prakash Kashiram Jadhav, Subbareddy Daggumati, Suresh Subramanian, Scott Roger Finn, Udit Kulmi, Vasan Churchill Srinivasan Chandrasekaran
  • Patent number: 8672631
    Abstract: A blade assembly for a wind turbine has a hub, a plurality of inboard and outboard blades, and a plurality of cables. The inboard blades are spaced apart from one another and are mounted on the hub. Each outboard blade is pivotally connected to one of the inboard blades such that it is capable of rotation to a desired swept angle relative to the inboard blade to which it is connected. The cables extend between the outboard blades and the inboard blades to actuate rotation of the outboard blades to the desired swept angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventor: Jun Shi
  • Publication number: 20140072427
    Abstract: A fan blade has an airfoil main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil also has suction and pressure sides. A cavity is formed into said main body, and receives a filler material. A cover closes off the cavity, and is attached to the main body, with the cover having a thickness defined in a direction perpendicular to the suction side. The main body has a spar which extends along the cavity, with a thickness of the spar at a central location between ends of the cavity which has a second thickness. A ratio of the first thickness to the second thickness is between 0.5 and 2. A fan rotor and a gas turbine engine are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Inventors: Michael A. Weisse, Kwan Hui
  • Patent number: 8662853
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade including a number of segments attached together end-to-end in a predetermined arrangement so that the respective covering subassemblies of the segments cooperate to form a substantially smooth surface of the wind turbine blade. Each segment includes a number of fiber tubes extending along preselected lengths of the segment respectively, the fiber tubes being laterally spaced apart from each other respectively to define gaps therebetween. The segment also includes a covering subassembly at least partially supported by the fiber tubes and at least partially defining an internal cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Maxiflow Manufacturing Inc.
    Inventors: Kailash Vasudeva, Sanjeev Bedi
  • Patent number: 8657581
    Abstract: A blade comprises a lightweight core, a composite material disposed on the core, and a skin located on the composite material. The composite material comprises fibers incorporated into a thermoplastic resin matrix in the form of a prepreg sheet or wet layup. The rotor blade may also comprise a front edge member attached along at least a portion of a leading edge of the core, a rear edge member attached along at least a portion of a trailing edge of the core, and a skin located over the core, the front edge member, and the rear edge member. The rotor blade may also comprise a spar extending through the core along a longitudinal axis of the rotor blade, and a skin located over the core and the spar. The edge members and the spars may be fabricated from thermoplastic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Gordon Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward Pilpel, Benjamin Pilpel
  • Patent number: 8651822
    Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade including outer skin materials made of fiber-reinforced plastic, a crossbeam material, and a trailing edge sandwich material disposed closer to a trailing edge than a trailing edge end of the crossbeam material, wherein a reinforcing material is provided on an inner surface of the outer skin material on a front side located closer to the trailing edge than a trailing edge end of the trailing edge sandwich material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Shinichi Hori
  • Patent number: 8632312
    Abstract: The invention introduces a reinforcement of a box girder of a wind turbine blade. The reinforcement prevents the transverse shear distortion of the blade structure, when the blade is loaded during operation. The reinforcement connects the corners diagonally opposite inside the girder, and fixes them in relation to each other. The reinforcement increases the blade's resistance to overall collapse. The reinforcement comprises one or more individual element, such as rods or plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Bladena APS
    Inventors: Find Mølholt Jensen, Per Hørlyk Nielsen
  • Patent number: 8616834
    Abstract: A heat exchanger apparatus includes: (a) an airfoil having opposed pressure and suction sides, a root, a tip, and spaced-apart leading and trailing edges; and (b) a plenum integrally formed within the airfoil which is configured to receive a flow of circulating working fluid; and (c) inlet and outlet ports communicating with the plenum and an exterior of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Glenn Knight, III, Bojan Lukovic, Daniel Laborie, Kenneth S. Scheffel
  • Patent number: 8602741
    Abstract: A turbine vane for a stationary gas turbine is provided. The turbine vane includes a hollow vane blade, wherein a rib is provided inside the vane blade to allow a pressure side wall and a suction side wall to support one another. The rib has an opening penetrating the rib near a wall at a height of an external fillet between a side wall, and a platform surface for extending a life of the turbine vane. By the opening, material accumulations in a transition region are avoided or the accumulation is reduced, whereby increases in stiffness and higher temperature gradients associated therewith are avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellscaft
    Inventors: Fathi Ahmad, Michael Dankert, Günther Walz
  • Patent number: 8573948
    Abstract: An airfoil has a hollow shell providing external airfoil surfaces, and a corrugated core within the shell. The core contacts inner surfaces of the shell to support the shell. The airfoil is formed by consolidating a hollow shell pre-form and a corrugated core pre-form. At least a part of the hollow shell has a leading edge shell portion and/or a trailing edge shell portion which, before consolidation of the pre-forms, is a unitary body having a shape which wraps around the respective edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce, plc
    Inventor: Matthew P. Jevons
  • Patent number: 8562296
    Abstract: Additional lightning protection system for intermediate wind turbine blade joints comprises a metal fairing that covers the blade connector elements while shielding and protecting the internal connector elements from getting hit by lightning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Gamesa Innovation & Technology, S.L.
    Inventors: Ion Arocena De La Rua, Anna Candela Garolera, Eneko Sanz Pascual
  • Patent number: 8556590
    Abstract: A wind-turbine rotor blade has an outer skin member formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, shear webs, and trailing-edge sandwich members disposed closer to a trailing edge than the shear webs are. The outer skin member at the dorsal side located closer to the trailing edge than a trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the dorsal side or a vicinity of the trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the dorsal side is coupled, via a reinforcing member, with the outer skin member at the ventral side located closer to the trailing edge than the trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the ventral side or a vicinity of the trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the ventral side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Takao Kuroiwa, Nozomu Kawasetsu
  • Publication number: 20130236324
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade 2 is formed with structures allowing its lifting by a lifting apparatus 4, the blade comprising upper and lower blade shells and an internal load-bearing structure comprising an internal spar 16 or internal webs, a plurality of lifting points 20 arranged about the blade centre of gravity, comprising openings for receiving lifting members 24 of a lifting apparatus insertable therein into structures 22 secured to the load-bearing structure, and with a locking connection being established between the lifting members 24 and the load-bearing structure 16.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
    Inventors: Anton Bech, Mark Hancock, Peter Frans Thomsen
  • Patent number: 8511996
    Abstract: The invention relates to a blade for wind-power generators. The inventive blade is divided transversely into two or more independent sections, each section comprising aerodynamic skins or walls (3) and an inner longitudinal reinforcing structure (4). In addition, the ends of the aforementioned sections are equipped with connection means comprising metal inserts (10) which are housed and fixed axially inside the walls of the inner longitudinal resistant structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Gamesa Innovation & Technology, S.L.
    Inventors: Jose Ignacio Llorente Gonzalez, Sergio Velez Oria
  • Publication number: 20130209728
    Abstract: A complex, three-dimensional lattice made of previously impregnated fiber strands is laid over nodes, thus forming the main body of the component to be produced. The composite wound rod structure, comprising a skeleton of ribs that are formed of impregnated fiber strands in a continuous winding and laying process, is characterized in that the ribs are solid ribs, or lattice structure ribs prefabricated from fiber strands, which contain nodes, over which the impregnated fiber strands are alternately, and incrementally, placed diagonally, horizontally and vertically, until the desired strand thickness has been reached, and the wound rod structure can be segmented as needed. The solid ribs are made of fiber composites, aluminum, or other lightweight materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: BALTICO GMBH
    Inventor: Dirk Buechler
  • Patent number: 8506256
    Abstract: A thin wall turbine blade used in a gas turbine engine, in which the blade is cast in conventional grain from a super alloy using the lost wax process as a single piece, and then the blade walls are machined to remove enough material to leave a thin wall. The blade is cast with a wall thickness greater than the designed for thin wall in order that any core shifting during the casting process will be accounted for in the machining process. prior to machining, a scanning process is used to measure the actual wall thickness on all portions of the blade wall in order to determine how much material must be removed to leave the blade wall with the proper thinness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph D Brostmeyer, William L Plank
  • Patent number: 8496440
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an aerofoil structure capable of being diffusion bonded and superplastically formed to create a substantially hollow cavity within the aerofoil structure, the method comprising: providing a metallic plate for forming the aerofoil structure; joining mounting elements to opposing end surfaces of said metallic plate; dividing said plate along a plane extending substantially in a span-wise direction so as to produce two metallic panels each with one of said mounting elements joined thereto; assembling the two metallic panels so that the surfaces of the panels opposite to the surfaces which have been divided are facing each other; and joining the two metallic panels to one another to form the aerofoil structure; wherein the mounting elements are joined to one another to form the root of the aerofoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Michael J. Wallis
  • Patent number: 8485787
    Abstract: An airfoil (30) and fabrication process for turbine blades with cooling channels (26). Tapered tubes (32A-32D) are bonded together in a parallel sequence, forming a leading edge (21), a trailing edge (22), and pressure and suction side walls (23, 24) connected by internal ribs (25). The tapered tubes may be extruded without camber to simplify the extrusion process, then bonded along matching surfaces (34), forming a non-cambered airfoil (28), which may be cambered in a hot forming process and cut (48) to length. The tubes may have tapered walls that are thinner at the blade tip (T1) than at the base (T2), reducing mass. A cap (50) may be attached to the blade tip. A mounting lug (58) may be forged (60) on the airfoil base and then machined, completing the blade for mounting in a turbine rotor disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventor: John J. Marra
  • Patent number: 8485786
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reinforced blade for a wind turbine, and in particular to a wind turbine blade comprising a shell having a section with an aerodynamic profile, and at least one internal reinforcing floor connected inside the shell and extending substantially along the profile chord in order to increase the strength of the blade and to prevent or reduce deformations of the surface of the blade caused by edgewise and flapwise loading of the blade structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Bladena ApS
    Inventor: Find Mølholt Jensen
  • Patent number: 8480366
    Abstract: An internally cooled airfoil comprises an airfoil body, a baffle and a plurality of standoffs. The airfoil body is shaped to form leading and trailing edges, and pressure and suction sides surrounding an internal cooling channel. The baffle is disposed within the internal cooling channel and comprises a liner body having a perimeter shaped to correspond to the shape of the internal cooling channel and to form a cooling air supply duct. The baffle includes a plurality of cooling holes extending through the liner body to direct cooling air from the supply duct into the internal cooling channel. The standoffs are recessed into a surface of either the baffle or the airfoil body such that a height of the standoffs is greater than the spacing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Stacy T. Malecki, Tracy A. Propheter-Hinckley, Amanda Jean Learned, Shawn J. Gregg
  • Patent number: 8475135
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade is provided with an outer skin layer formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a plurality of main structural members formed of fiber-reinforced plastic integrally with the outer skin layer to extend in a blade length direction. The main structural members include a plurality of main dorsal structural members positioned on a dorsal side of the wind turbine blade, and a plurality of main ventral structural members positioned on a ventral side of the wind turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takao Kuroiwa, Toshiyuki Hirano, Nobuyasu Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8459955
    Abstract: Composite aerofoils for gas turbine engines are commonly provided with a metal protection strip along the leading edge, to prevent erosion of the leading edge in use and to protect against impacts from foreign bodies. A problem with such strips is that they can cause serious damage to other parts of the engine if they become detached from the aerofoil. The invention provides an aerofoil having such a protection strip, characterized in that the protection strip includes one or more weakening features to reduce the ability of the protection member to withstand a compressive force applied along its length. The weakening features encourage the protection member to break up under impact, or if it becomes detached from the aerofoil, so that damage to other parts of the engine is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Alison J McMillan, Ian C D Care
  • Patent number: 8454318
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the prevention of deformations in an aerodynamic profile caused by lack of resistance to the bending moment forces that are created when such a profile is loaded in operation. More specifically, the invention relates to a reinforcing element inside an aerodynamic profile and a method for the construction thereof. The profile is intended for, but not limited to, use as a wind turbine blade, an aerofoil device or as a wing profile used in the aeronautical industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Bladena ApS
    Inventor: Find Mølholt Jensen
  • Patent number: 8444390
    Abstract: A blade for a turbine engine made by the diffusion-bonding/superplastic-forming (DB/SPF) process has a hollow skin made of front and back panels 1, 3 and internal reinforcement in the form of webs 5 extending between the two faces or panels at an angle to the plane of the blade. The cavities are filled with viscoelastic damping filler 7. In order to allow the blade to deform more easily so that the filler can take up the strain, the webs are pre-buckled so as to compress at least some of the webs. When the blade is deformed, the webs straighten or buckle further, applying a deformation to the filler as they do so and thus dissipating energy. The blade is thus well reinforced against impact but still capable of damping vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Simon Read
  • Patent number: 8439647
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil (20) fabricated as an assembly of U-channels (22A-E), each U-channel having a closed side formed by a cross wall (25), an open side (26) opposite the cross wall, and two side walls (27) extending from the cross wall to the open side. The U-channels are attached to each other in a parallel, closed-side to open-side sequence, forming a series of cooling channels (23) oriented span-wise (S) in the airfoil. A first of the U-channels (22A) has a curved cross wall forming the leading edge (24) of the airfoil. A last of the U-channels (22E) may have side walls (27) that converge to form a trailing edge (28) of the airfoil. Alternately, a solid trailing edge (22E?) may be attached to a last of the U-channels. Each U-channel may be bonded to an adjacent U-channel using half-lap joints (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventor: Allister W. James
  • Publication number: 20130115095
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade comprising a profiled hollow contour, at least one reinforcing beam (15) placed between two shell body parts (13, 14), the beam comprising a first beam flange (16a) and an opposing second beam flange (16b), a beam body (17) connected to the first beam flange (16a) by a first transition area (32a) and connected to the second beam flange (16b) by a second transition area (32b). The beam body comprises a beam core (22). The beam core (22) comprises a first outer core surface (24a) and an opposite second outer core surface (24b). The beam body further comprises a web (50) arranged on the outer core surfaces. The flanges (16a, 16b) and the web (50) are made from a fibre-reinforced polymer. The transition areas (32a, 32b) comprise notch-reducing mean formed of rounded corners of the beam core (22).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: LM GLASFIBER A/S
    Inventor: Lars Nielsen
  • Publication number: 20130108455
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade comprises a profiled contour having a pressure side and a suction side, a leading edge and a trailing edge with a chord extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The profiled contour generating a lift when being impacted by an incident airflow is formed by a hollow shell body. The hollow shell body is formed by at least a first shell body part and a second shell body part, which are mutually connected at least at the trailing edge and/or the leading edge. An edge stiffener is arranged within the hollow shell body at a first part of the edges, a first surface part of the edge stiffener being connected to an inner side of the first shell body part, and a second surface part of the edge stiffener being connected to an inner side of the second shell body part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Publication date: May 2, 2013
    Applicant: LM GLASFIBER A/S
    Inventors: Peter Quiring, Rocco Prete, Torben Lindby
  • Patent number: 8393871
    Abstract: A wind turbine blade has upper and lower shell members with a respective spar cap configured on an internal face of the shell members. A shear web extends between the spar caps along a longitudinal length of the blade. A connection assembly is configured between the transverse ends of the shear web and the spar caps. The connection assembly includes a spacer member configured on the spar cap. A male/female engagement interface is defined between transverse end of the shear web and the spacer member, and includes an axial extension length to accommodate for variances in shear web length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Aaron Yarbrough
  • Publication number: 20130039774
    Abstract: A hybrid airfoil for a gas turbine engine is provided that includes a body and a panel. The body has a first side and a second side orientated opposite the first side. The first and second sides extend between a tip, a base, a leading edge and a trailing edge. The body includes a plurality of cavities disposed in the first side of the body, which cavities extend inwardly toward the second side. The cavities collectively form an opening. At least one rib is disposed between the cavities. A shelf is disposed around the opening. The panel is attached to the shelf first mounting surface and to the rib, and is sized to enclose the opening. The panel is a load bearing structure operable to transfer loads to the body and receive loads from the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel V. Viens, Vincent C. Nardone, Peter G. Smith, James R. Strife, Foster P. Lamm
  • Patent number: 8371817
    Abstract: A turbine bucket that includes a pressure side, a suction side opposite the pressure side, and a rib extending between the pressure side and the suction side. A tip cap is attached to the pressure side and the suction side and covers the rib. The tip cap includes a precipitation hardened material and a passage aligned with the rib. A method for assembling a turbine bucket having a pressure side and a suction side and a rib extending between the pressure side and suction side. The method includes receiving a tip cap made from a precipitation hardened material and having a passage in the tip cap. The method further includes locating the rib visually through the passage and aligning the passage with the rib. The method also includes welding the tip cap to the turbine bucket and to the rib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gitahi Charles Mukira, Daniel Anthony Nowak, Michael Douglas Arnett, Srikanth Chandrudu Kottilingam
  • Patent number: 8366391
    Abstract: Provided is a turbine blade structure that is capable of suppressing quality variations of cast products during the manufacturing of turbine blades. A turbine blade structure wherein the space inside an air foil is divided into a plurality of cavities, partitioned by rib members provided substantially perpendicular to the center line connecting a leading edge and a trailing edge, is provided with partition members that partition the inside of the cavities located in the central portion of the blade, excluding the blade leading-edge side and the blade trailing-edge side, into blade pressure side cavities and blade suction side cavities substantially along the center line, wherein blade leading-edge end portions and blade trailing-edge end portions of the partition members are inserted from one shroud surface side to the other shroud surface side along engagement grooves formed on the rib members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keizo Tsukagoshi, Tomoko Hashimoto, Satoshi Hada
  • Patent number: 8360733
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade may generally include a body formed at least partially from a core material. The body may generally define a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The rotor blade may also include a plurality of shear members and a plurality of stiffening members. The shear members may generally extend between the pressure and suction sides of the body and may each include a first end and a second end. The stiffening members may be spaced apart around the pressure and suction sides of the body, with each stiffening member being disposed at the first end or the second end of one of the shear members. Additionally, the rotor blade may include a skin extending around an outer perimeter of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eric Lee Bell, Brandon Shane Gerber, Alexander William Vossler
  • Patent number: 8348621
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vane (200) for an aircraft turbine engine receiver. The vane is a blade (14) having an aerodynamic shell (24) enveloping a principal hollow structure core (34) extending in the direction of wingspan of the blade. The vane further has a secondary structural assembly (34?) enveloped by the hollow core (34) and extending also in the direction of wingspan, as well as a first coating made of shock-absorbing material (50) arranged between a longeron (44) of the core (34) and the assembly (34?), and a second coating made of shocking-absorbing material (52) arranged between another longeron (38) of the core (34) and this same assembly (34?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventor: Laurent Lafont
  • Patent number: 8342802
    Abstract: A large and highly tapered and twisted turbine rotor blade for a large frame and heavy duty industrial gas turbine engine, where the blade includes a main spar with multiple impingement chambers extending along the chordwise direction of the blade, and with a thin thermal skin bonded to the main spar to form an airfoil section for the blade. The chordwise impingement channels are separated by ribs to form multiple chambers in the spanwise direction from the root to the blade tip. These compartmented impingement channels formed along the airfoil spanwise direction can be used for tailoring the gas side pressure variation in the spanwise direction, and individual impingement channels can be designed based on the airfoil local external heat load to achieve a desired local metal temperature. With this cooling circuit, the usage of cooling air is maximized for a given airfoil inlet gas temperature and pressure profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Patent number: 8333565
    Abstract: A composite blade (26) comprises a three-dimensional arrangement of reinforcing fibers (58) and a matrix material (60) infiltrated around the three-dimensional arrangement of woven reinforcing fibers (60). The three-dimensional arrangement of woven reinforcing fibers (58) defines a plurality of cavities (56) within the aerofoil (28). The composite blade (26) comprises an aerofoil portion (38) and a root portion (36). The aerofoil portion (38) comprises a leading edge (44), a trailing edge (46), a concave pressure surface wall (50), a convex suction surface wall (52) and a tip (48). The aerofoil portion (36) comprises a plurality of webs (54) extending between, and being secured to, the concave pressure surface wall (50) and the convex suction surface wall (52) to produce a Warren girder structure. The three-dimensional arrangement of woven reinforcing fibers (58) are arranged to produce the concave pressure surface wall (50), the convex suction surface wall (52) and the plurality of webs (54).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Alison J. McMillan
  • Publication number: 20120301316
    Abstract: A method for bonding a first and a second prefabricated parts of a wind turbine blade comprising the steps of: disposing bands (45, 55, 65) of an adhesive material in a manageable uncured state following traces (43, 53, 63) signaled on a bonding area of one of said parts, said adhesive material being able to flow in a curing stage in a controlled way, the width (W) and height (H) of said bands (45, 55, 65) and the separation (S1) between said traces (43, 53, 63) being determined so that a predetermined separation (S2) between said bands (45, 55, 65) comprised between 0-300 mm remains after the bonding; bonding both parts under predetermined conditions of pressure and temperature. The invention also refers to a wind turbine blade having prefabricated parts bonded using said method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventors: Sergio Velez Oria, Amaia Zugasti Paramo, Francisco Javier Marin Martinez, Emilio Rodriguez Saiz, Ion Arocena De La Rua, Eneko Sanz Pascual