Miscellaneous (e.g., Blade Root Or Root Block, Etc.) Patents (Class 416/248)
  • Patent number: 8827642
    Abstract: A system including: a first turbine segment comprising a first blade coupled to a first shank. The system also includes a second turbine segment including a second blade coupled to a second shank, as well as an elongated flexible seal disposed in a gap between the first and second shanks. The elongated flexible seal includes an opening configured to channel a fluid flow into a hollow region of the elongated flexible seal to induce expansion of the elongated flexible seal in the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jalindar Appa Walunj, Brian Peter Arness, Mark Steven Honkomp, Scott Edmond Ellis, Prashant Shukla, Narayayanaswamy Kuruboor Veerabhadrappa
  • Patent number: 8821122
    Abstract: An integrally bladed rotor disk (20) for a turbine, including rotor blades (40), which are joined in a substance-to-substance bond to a disk element (30), and a sealing device (60) for preventing or reducing the extent to which cooling air is able to flow from a high-pressure side (12) of the rotor disk (20) through openings (24) on the rotor disk (20) to a low-pressure side (14) of the rotor disk (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Peter Borufka, Frank Stiehler, Hernan Victor Arrieta, Patrick Prokopczuk, Joachim Lorenz
  • Patent number: 8821127
    Abstract: A blade assembly for a groove of a wheel of rotating machinery is described. The blade assembly includes, a blade root having two longitudinal sides, a base, and a roof, wherein the profile of the longitudinal sides includes a rounded surface, a blade connected to the roof of the blade root, and one or more keys juxtaposed along each longitudinal side of the blade root, each key having an inboard side and an outboard side, wherein the profile of the inboard side of each key is configured to mate with the profile of the blade root. The blade assembly allows replacement of a compressor blade without the need for unstacking the rotor to gain access to the damaged blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Inventor: Ken Knecht
  • Patent number: 8813331
    Abstract: A process of preparing a turbine rotor wheel, a repair tool for machining a turbine rotor wheel, and a turbine rotor wheel are disclosed. The process includes providing the turbine rotor wheel, the turbine rotor wheel having a dovetail slot, a cooling slot, and a dovetail acute corner formed by the dovetail slot and the cooling slot and removing a stress region from the dovetail acute corner. The repair tool permits removal of strained material while also reducing the operating stress of the feature. The turbine rotor wheel includes a machined portion resulting in lower stress for the turbine rotor wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: John H. Dimmick, III
  • Patent number: 8784061
    Abstract: Method and system are provided for controlling a thermal differential within a turbine rotor for use with a turbine system. A thermal barrier coating is applied to a surface of the turbine rotor. The surface is proximate to a wheel rim of the turbine rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Narendra Are, Roger Clayton Walker, Matthew Ryan Ferslew, Matthew Paul Forcier
  • Patent number: 8764300
    Abstract: A wind turbine rotor hub bearing where the series of mobile members include more than two annular series of such members whereof at least two have different median diameters which are arranged in more than two rows scaled along the bearing rotational axis, with two end rows each comprising a series of roller bearings having individually a rotational axis transversal to the axis and at least an intermediary row of mobile members comprising balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Defontaine
    Inventors: Germain Errard, Eric Jacquemont, Jean-Michel Delacou
  • Patent number: 8740573
    Abstract: An adaptor assembly for coupling a blade root of a turbine blade to a root slot of a rotor disk is disclosed. The adaptor assembly may generally include an adaptor body having a root configured to be received within the root slot. The adaptor body may also define a slot having an open end configured to receive the blade root. The adaptor body may further define a channel. The adaptor assembly may also include a plate having an outwardly extending foot. The foot may be configured to be received within the channel. Additionally, the plate may be configured to cover at least a portion of the open end of the slot when the foot is received within the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John McConnell Delvaux, Andres Jose Garcia-Crespo, Kilmer Joseph Joyce, Allan Randall Tindell
  • Patent number: 8734112
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes a disk having an annular hub circumscribed about a centerline with an annular web extending radially outward from the hub to an annular rim. A multiple of slots extend generally axially through the rim and at least one of the multiple of slots having an asymmetric slot root for lower stress and higher service life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Scott D. Virkler, Raymond S. Hummel
  • Patent number: 8727731
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a blade connection of a rotor blade for a wind energy system which comprises fastening elements for fastening the blade connection to a hub, which fastening elements are provided on a circular arc, preferably equidistant from each other. Furthermore, the invention relates to a blade connection and a fastening element for a blade connection. The invention is based on the problem of improving the fastening of a rotor blade on the hub of a wind energy system as well as improving the manufacture and/or making a suitable blade connection available. The invention solves this problem as regards the process in that fastening elements formed in pieces are arranged on the circular arc and spaced from each other with spacer elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: REpower Systems AG
    Inventors: Urs Bendel, Markus Werner, Martin Knops
  • Patent number: 8727735
    Abstract: A blade retainer for a gas turbine engine includes a plate-like member with an arcuate outer face, an opposed inner face, and two spaced-apart end faces. The member has an outer portion disposed adjacent the outer face, and an inner portion disposed adjacent the inner face, and a wedge-shaped recess with a concave radiused valley is formed in the inner portion adjacent each end face. The retainer is left-right symmetrical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Lee, David Coburn, Joseph Fagan
  • Patent number: 8721292
    Abstract: A gas-turbine blade root 1 has at least two essentially rectangularly adjoining surfaces 4, 5 for locating the gas-turbine blade root 1 and a transition area of the surfaces 4, 5 includes a bevelled, plane edge 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
    Inventors: James McLaughlan, Roger Ashmead
  • Patent number: 8708656
    Abstract: The blade dovetails and associated dovetail slots of a gas turbine engine rotor assembly are shaped so that during windmilling the high stress regions of the blade dovetails are shielded from rubbing against the disk and vice versa. Bumper surfaces are provided in low stress regions of the dovetail assembly such that the windmilling contact points between the blade dovetails and the disk are in non-critical areas of the dovetail assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Barry Barnett, Philippe Bonniere
  • Patent number: 8696320
    Abstract: A gas turbine and a seal assembly for a machine having a rotating shaft, a wheel coupled to the rotating shaft, the wheel including a bucket coupled to the wheel comprising a coverplate that is fastened to the wheel and the bucket and a seal positioned between the coverplate and the wheel and the bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Wesley Harris, Jr., Matthew Robert Piersall, Brian Denver Potter
  • Publication number: 20140079559
    Abstract: A blade root shim comprises a base, a suction side shim wall, a pressure side shim wall, and a contact relief region. The base extends longitudinally between a leading shim end and a trailing shim end. The suction side shim wall extends along the base and corresponds to a suction side blade root bearing surface. The pressure side shim wall, spaced circumferentially apart from the suction shim wall, corresponds to a pressure side blade bearing surface. The contact relief region is formed into an upper wall portion of either the suction side shim wall or the pressure side shim wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Blake J. Luczak
  • Patent number: 8661641
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly tool for coupling a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotor blades to a rotor disc of a turbine rotor assembly, includes a base ring with an array of circumferentially spaced resilient fingers axially extending from the base ring. The resilient fingers are configured each to radially abut a blade seal, damper or other engine component against radially inner facing surfaces of platforms of the respective blades when the blades are being seated onto the disc during an assembly procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: Joseph Daniel Lecuyer, Bruno Chatelois
  • Patent number: 8657574
    Abstract: A turbine bucket includes an airfoil, a platform adjacent to the airfoil, and a shank adjacent to the platform. The shank defines a shank cavity, and a divider in the shank cavity creates a pressure differential across the shank cavity. A method for cooling a turbine bucket includes directing a fluid to a forward shank cavity and creating a pressure differential between the forward shank cavity and an aft shank cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sergio Daniel Marques Amaral, Gary Michael Itzel, Xiuzhang James Zhang, Camilo Andres Sampayo
  • Patent number: 8659867
    Abstract: A wind power system having a tower, a nacelle fitted to the tower to rotate about a first axis, a hub fitted to the nacelle to rotate about a second axis, and at least one blade fitted to the hub to rotate about a third axis, and wherein an elastic conducting member is positioned between the blade and the nacelle to connect the blade electrically to the nacelle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Wilic S.A.R.L.
    Inventors: Matteo Casazza, Schwarz Martin
  • Patent number: 8622701
    Abstract: A turbine rotor disk with rotor blades secured within slots, where the rotor disk includes a radial extension that occupies a space where a dead rim cavity would be formed, and in which the radial extension includes a cooling air chamber with impingement cooling air holes directed to discharge impingement cooling air to a backside surface of the platforms of the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Liang
  • Patent number: 8608446
    Abstract: A compressor disk for a turbine engine includes a plurality of blades mounted about the circumference. To assemble the blades onto the disk a lock assembly is inserted within a blade slot on the disk. A blade is assembled into the blade slot and slider seals are inserted between the blade and the disk to limit air from entering the blade slot. Additional blades are assembled until the end of the slider seals are reached. The process is repeated until all the blades have been assembled onto the disk. After the last blade has been assembled a spacer seal is placed at each lock assembly to take up the slack. Once all the blades and spacer seals are assembled the lock assemblies can be moved to a locked position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: John T. Pickens, Stanley J. Szymanski
  • Patent number: 8602737
    Abstract: A sealing device for sealing a gap between a dovetail of a bucket assembly and a rotor wheel is disclosed. The sealing device includes a cover plate configured to cover the gap and a retention member protruding from the cover plate and configured to engage the dovetail. The sealing device provides a seal against the gap when the bucket assembly is subjected to a centrifugal force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Andres Jose Garcia-Crespo
  • Patent number: 8602738
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention can provide methods and apparatus to repair a rotor disk for a gas turbine. In one embodiment, a method to repair a rotor disk for a gas turbine is provided, wherein the rotor disk can include a base and at least one dovetail slot between a pair of dovetail walls. The method can include identifying one or more cracks on the base of the rotor disk, and removing one or more cracks by providing one or more fillets on the base of the rotor disk. Further, the method can include providing one or more conic cuts on the base of the rotor disk between the pair of dovetail walls of at least one dovetail slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rathina Rajarajan, Desai Tushar Sharadchandra, Santhanagopalakrishnan Babu, Akkur Marigowda Satish, Michael Byron Neikirk
  • Patent number: 8596983
    Abstract: A damper for a turbine rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The damper may have a forward plate. The damper may further have an aft plate including a larger surface area than the forward plate. The aft plate may have at least one aperture for regulating a flow of gas through the aft plate. The damper may also have a longitudinal structure connecting the forward plate and the aft plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Hyun Dong Kim, Yungmo Kang, Yong Weon Kim
  • Patent number: 8579588
    Abstract: A fan assembly having a motor with a shaft. A hub member is mounted to the shaft so as to be rotated thereby. The hub member defines slots that receive arm members in the slots. The arm members are secured via bolts or other fasteners in the slots and can be replaced if broken or worn. Fan blades are positioned over or otherwise mounted to the arm members. The fan blades and the arm members can be contoured to engage with each other along the length of the arm members so that force is transmitted therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Macroair Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward K. Boyd
  • Patent number: 8573947
    Abstract: A composite fan blade having an airfoil with a leading edge and a trailing edge and a dovetail root includes a first pressure face and second pressure face, a lower horizontal face connecting the pressure faces at the bottom of the dovetail and a first and a second dovetail runout fillet connecting the pressure faces to the airfoil. The pressure faces are each angled outward at about 65 degrees to about 75 degrees from horizontal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Carl Brian Klinetob, Brian P. Huth, Gregory E. Reinhardt
  • Patent number: 8568102
    Abstract: A fan blade anti-fretting insert is described whereby to reduce wear between the root portion of a fan blade and the root slot of the rotor fan hub of a turbo fan engine to which the fan blade are secured. The anti-fretting insert can be formed of a composite spring material having a memory and is dimensioned and shaped to be fitted between the fan blade platform and the outer surface portion of the rotor fan hub between adjacent fan blades, whereby to apply a pushing force against the platform and consequently to the fan blades secure thereto thereby applying a resulting pulling force on the root portion of the fan blades to prevent rocking of the root portion in their root slots formed in the rotor fan hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
    Inventors: David H. Menheere, Quantai Liu, Philip Ridyard
  • Patent number: 8545182
    Abstract: This invention relates to a wind turbine blade with at least two connection members such as bushings and/or threaded bars in the root of the blade for attaching the blade to a hub. The connection members are placed along the blade surface and at least some of the connection members are non-parallel and hence oriented in different directions. Hereby is obtained that the root section of the blade can be shortened and the maximum chord of the wind turbine blade can be moved closer to the hub, whereby the part of the blade exploiting the wind is increased and the power output similarly increased. The present invention further relates to a pitch bearing and a hub comprising a bearing ring with two or more holes for positioning fastening members for attaching a wind turbine blade to the bearing. Here, correspondingly, at least two of the holes are oriented in different angles so that the fastening members positioned in the holes are non-parallel and extend in different directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: LM Glasfiber A/S
    Inventor: Tommy Sørensen
  • Patent number: 8545181
    Abstract: A turbine blade assembly, which can be used for a gas turbine is provided. The turbine blade assembly includes turbine blades with platforms, gaps between the platforms of adjacent turbine blades and seals. Each seal covers the gap between the platforms of two adjacent turbine blades wherein the platforms are provided with slots extending in the downstream flow direction. The turbine blades have root cavities, wherein the seal covers at least the whole length of the root cavities of two adjacent turbine blades. The seal is formed from a strip and the seal is placed in two opposed slots formed in each of the platforms of two adjacent turbine blades and open towards the respective downstream ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Scott Charlton
  • Patent number: 8529209
    Abstract: Spacers interposed between blades attached to the disk of a rotor having slots and bottoms of the slots are disclosed. Each spacer is made of an elastically deformable material and at least one longitudinal segment of the spacer presents a transverse profile of arcuate shape to define two lateral contact zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Olivier Belmonte, Jean-Luc Christian Yvon Goga, Jean-Noël Mahieu
  • Publication number: 20130216394
    Abstract: An assembly configuration between a wind turbine rotor blade and a rotor hub includes a rotor hub having one or more pitch bearings, with each pitch bearing having an outer diameter race and an inner diameter race. Rotor blades are affixed to the respective pitch bearing rings, with the rotor blades having a root end with an outer diameter. An adaptor is configured between the root end and the pitch bearing, with the adaptor affixed to the inner diameter race and the root end affixed to the adaptor. The adaptor defines a mounting surface for the root end radially inward of the pitch bearing such that the root end outer diameter is less than the diameter of the inner diameter race.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventor: Jay F. Leonard
  • Patent number: 8511999
    Abstract: A turbine rotor blade of the spar and shell construction, the spar including a tip end with a dovetail shaped groove extending from the top, and a tip cap includes a dovetail shaped slot that engages with the spar groove to retain the tip cap in place. A shell made from a high temperature resistant material is secured in place between the platform and the tip cap. The platform includes a core extending into a hollow space formed by the shell and discharges impingement cooling air against the backside wall of the shell. The spar and the platform include fir tree configurations so that an assembled blade can be inserted into a slot of a rotor disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith D Kimmel, Jack W. Wilson, Russell B Jones
  • Publication number: 20130202450
    Abstract: A fan and shaft assembly for a turbofan gas turbine engine comprises a shaft and a fan. Sets of aligned throughbores are respectively of the shaft and the fan, at a junction between the shaft and the fan. Fastening systems are provided for the sets of aligned throughbores. Each fastening system comprises a sleeve received in one of the sets of aligned throughbores and sized to fit without play in the set of aligned throughbores. A head of the sleeve abuts a surface at the junction between the shaft and the fan. A fastener is inserted in the sleeve and extends beyond both ends of the sleeve to clamp the fan to the shaft, the fastener being loosely received in the sleeve. A method for replacing a component of a fastening system retaining a fan to a shaft is provided as well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Inventors: RICHARD IVAKITCH, Andreas Eleftheriou, Alain Carrieres
  • Patent number: 8496443
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil (22E-H) extends from a shank (23E-H). A platform (30E-H) brackets or surrounds a first portion of the shank (23E-H). Opposed teeth (33, 35) extend laterally from the platform (30E-H) to engage respective slots (50) in a disk. Opposed teeth (25, 27) extend laterally from a second portion of the shank (29) that extends below the platform (30E-H) to engage other slots (52) in the disk. Thus the platform (30E-H) and the shank (23E-H) independently support their own centrifugal loads via their respective teeth. The platform may be formed in two portions (32E-H, 34E-H), that are bonded to each other at matching end-walls (37) and/or via pins (36G) passing through the shank (23E-H). Coolant channels (41, 43) may pass through the shank beside the pins (36G).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian X. Campbell, Daniel O. Davies, Darryl Eng
  • Patent number: 8469672
    Abstract: Provided is a blade for a rotor of a wind turbine having a substantially horizontal rotor shaft, said rotor comprising a hub, from which the blade extends substantially radially when mounted, said blade having a chord plane extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge of said blade, a root area closest to the hub, an airfoil area furthest away from the hub, a transition area between the root area and the airfoil area, a first airfoil extending substantially along the entire airfoil area, and a second airfoil separately mounted to the blade, said second airfoil arranged at a mutual distance transverse to the chord plane and extending along the root area of the blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: LM Glasfiber A/S
    Inventor: Peter Grabau
  • Patent number: 8444389
    Abstract: A multiple piece turbine rotor blade with a shell having an airfoil shape and secured between a spar and a platform with the spar including a tip end piece. a snap ring fits around the spar and abuts against the spar tip end piece on a top side and abuts against a shell on the bottom side so that the centrifugal loads from the shell is passed through the snap ring and into the spar and not through a tip cap dovetail slot and projection structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell B Jones, John A Fedock
  • Patent number: 8435008
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes a platform, an airfoil located on one side of the platform, and a base located on an opposite side of the platform. The base includes an attachment portion that is receivable in a blade retention slot of a turbine disk and a shelf located outside the turbine disk. The shelf includes a mistake proof feature that projects from an outer surface of the shelf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin F. Hagan, James P. Chrisikos, Jess J. Parkin
  • Patent number: 8425818
    Abstract: A pelletizing machine for forming pellets from extruded material includes an extruder having at least one exit port and a body defining a cutting chamber through which high-temperature liquid flows, flooding the cutting chamber. The exit port of the extruder opens into the cutting chamber, which includes a cutting section defining a flow path for liquid through the cutting section. A cutter in the cutting section of the cutting chamber is mounted for rotation about an axis generally perpendicular to the first direction and disposed for cutting the extruded material exiting the exit port into the pellets. The axis of rotation of the cutter is parallel to or coincident with the flow path of the cutting section. A method for forming pellets of thermoplastic material with a foaming agent is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Interplast Group Ltd.
    Inventors: Yi An Lin, Ming-Tsai Liang
  • Patent number: 8408874
    Abstract: A turbine blade rotor assembly is disclosed for a gas turbine engine. The assembly includes a rotor having nickel alloy turbine blades secured thereto. Each of the blades includes a root and an airfoil. The roots are supported by the rotor. A ceramic matrix composite platform separate from the turbine blades is supported between each pair of the turbine blades adjacent to the airfoils. In another example, the airfoil includes a perimeter. A shroud having an aperture receives the airfoil with a single shroud substantially surrounding the airfoil at the perimeter. In one example, the turbine blade includes high and low pressure sides opposite one another that extend from a tip to a root. The airfoil is free from any protrusions extending from the high and low pressure sides on a portion of the blade axially outward from the root.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Michael G. McCaffrey, Eric A. Hudson
  • Patent number: 8393869
    Abstract: A damper for a turbine rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The damper may have a forward plate. The damper may further have an aft plate including a larger surface area than the forward plate. The aft plate may have at least one aperture for regulating a flow of through the aft plate. The damper may also have a longitudinal structure connecting the forward plate and the aft plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Solar Turbines Inc.
    Inventors: Hyun Dong Kim, Yungmo Kang, Yong Weon Kim
  • Patent number: 8382442
    Abstract: Controllable pitch blade non-ducted propeller for a jet engine, comprising a rotor member comprising radial housing for mounting blade support plates, each plate being attached in a ring centered and guided in rotation in a housing of the rotor member and comprising external toothing engaged and locked in internal toothing of the ring, to withstand the centrifugal forces to which the propeller blades are subjected in operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Eric Jacques Boston, Michel Andre Bouru, Adrien Jacques Philippe Fabre, Laurent Jablonski, Philippe Gerard Edmond Joly
  • Patent number: 8382436
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a turbine blade platform may be disposed between two turbine blades. The platform may include a first exterior side configured to interface with a first turbine blade. The platform also may include a second exterior side disposed generally opposite the first exterior side and configured to interface with a second turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Luke J. Ammann
  • Patent number: 8366378
    Abstract: Blade assemblies are provided in a number of forms. These blade assemblies may have blades secured to disks (blisk), rings (bling) and drums (blum). The blades and/or the rotor elements formed by these rings, drums or disks can fragment and it is necessary to contain such fragments within a casing. Impact energy has a significant effect upon the necessary thickness of the casing to ensure containment. By providing blades as well as rotor elements which incorporate discontinuities which provide flexing under impact, energy is absorbed prior to further fragmentation upon impact engagement with a casing surface; flexing is about the discontinuity. In such circumstances casings may be thinner and therefore significant weight savings achieved with regard to aircraft incorporating gas turbine engines having blade assemblies with discontinuities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: Peter Rowland Beckford, Simon Read, Ian Colin Deuchar Care
  • Patent number: 8360717
    Abstract: A blade of a turbomachine, in particular of a gas turbine, is disclosed. The blade includes at least one fastening section for fastening the same in a locating section of a rotor-side or stator-side component of the turbomachine. The, or each, fastening section has a core region which is made of a relatively brittle and relatively light material and is embedded in an encasing region made of a material having relatively high ductility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: MTU Aero Engines GmbH
    Inventor: Bernd Kriegl
  • Patent number: 8353673
    Abstract: A main rotor blade assembly includes a main spar with an integral cuff. The main spar is directly to a rotor hub assembly through the integral cuff.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin P. Leahy, Richard Joseph Simkulak, David A. Kovalsky
  • Patent number: 8350403
    Abstract: A power generation system (20) including an airborne electricity generator (30), a tether assembly (40) configured to carry electricity from the generator to land, the tether assembly having a first end portion (42) coupled to the generator, and a winch assembly (50) configured to reel the tether assembly onto a drum (52), wherein the winch assembly is configured to apply a reel tension to the tether assembly reeled onto the drum that is lower than a tension in the first end portion of the tether assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Baseload Energy, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph A. Carroll
  • Patent number: 8337157
    Abstract: The invention relates to a blower wheel, especially a plastic blower wheel for a cylindrical rotor radial fan for the heating and air-conditioning systems of a motor vehicle. Said blower wheel comprises a plurality of blades (2), and the flow channel (3) between two blades (2) is embodied in such a way that it is convergent on the inflow side, divergent on the outflow side, and distinctively shaped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jörg Kilian, Peter Lucyga, Nikolaus Zipf
  • Patent number: 8292579
    Abstract: A method and associated system are provided for deicing turbine blades of a wind turbine, wherein rotational torque from a rotor hub on which the turbine blades are mounted is transmitted to a generator. The method and system include detecting conditions that are indicative of ice formation on a wind turbine blade. In response to detected icing conditions, generator torque is modulated so as to induce upstream vibrations in the turbine blades to shake loose ice that may have formed on the turbine blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David Cole Magnuson
  • Patent number: 8287239
    Abstract: An annulus filler is provided for mounting to a rotor disc of a gas turbine engine and for bridging the gap between two adjacent blades attached to the rotor disc. The annulus filler defines an airflow surface for air being drawn through the engine. The annulus filler has one or more primary connectors for connecting the annulus filler to the rotor disc, and for resisting, in use, centrifugal forces on the annulus filler. Each primary connector allows rotation of the annulus filler around the center line of the engine relative to the rotor disc at that primary connector. The annulus filler also has a secondary connector for connecting the annulus filler to the rotor disc and for resisting, in use, motion of the annulus filler relative to the rotor disc in a first axial direction. The secondary connector allows rotation of the annulus filler around the center line of the engine relative to the rotor disc at the secondary connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventor: Stephen Jonathan Dimelow
  • Patent number: 8282354
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a gas turbine engine having an edge buttress having an aperture. A method of reducing rotor blade weight includes removing material from within a truss area bounded by a platform section, an internal airfoil cooling passage, and an underplatform fillet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Brandon W. Spangler
  • Patent number: 8282356
    Abstract: A disk includes a disk lug and a wear element. The disk lug includes an outer surface, an inner surface radially inward of the outer surface, and a plurality of lateral surfaces between the outer surface and the inner surface, wherein the outer surface is wider than the inner surface. The wear element is disposed on at least one of the plurality of lateral surfaces, and the wear element creates a raised surface on at least one of the plurality of lateral surfaces. A method for installing a wear element to a disk lug includes machining a slot into the disk lug and inserting the wear element at least partially into the slot so that the wear element creates a raised surface on the disk lug.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ronald Ralph Cairo
  • Patent number: 8277188
    Abstract: A turbomachine rotor disk including inter-blade platforms fixed to ribs delimited by cavities in which blade roots are retained, and protective liners mounted between the flanks of the cavities of the disk and the blade roots is disclosed. The protective liners have a C-shaped cross section so that they can be fitted translationally and retained radially on the ribs of the disk and constitute a locking device which locks the platforms on the ribs of the disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventor: Olivier Belmonte