General Electric Patent Grants

Removeable fuselage shield for an aircraft

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12103702
An aircraft defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction is provided. The aircraft includes a fuselage; an engine mounted at a location spaced from the fuselage of the aircraft, the engine comprising rotor blades; and at least one fuselage shield removably coupled to the fuselage at a location in alignment with the rotor blades along the lateral direction.

Combustor with a variable primary zone combustion chamber

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104795
A combustor for a gas turbine includes a combustor liner that has an outer liner and an inner liner. At least one of the outer liner and the inner liner includes (a) an upstream liner section fixedly connected in the combustor, (b) a downstream liner section fixedly connected in the combustor, and (c) a dilution liner section including a movable portion including at least a part of the dilution liner section and having at least one dilution opening therethrough. The movable portion is…

Armature for a wind turbine generator and related methods

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104582
The present disclosure relates to an armature for a wind turbine generator. The generator may be a permanent magnet generator. The present disclosure further relates to methods for operating such armature, generator and wind turbine. A method may include partially short-circuiting the armature windings by closing a first switch and inducing currents in the armature windings by the wind acting on the wind turbine blades.

Gas turbine engine

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104539
A gas turbine engine defines an axial direction and a radial direction and comprises a turbomachine having an unducted primary fan, a core engine a combustor casing enclosing a combustor and defining an outer surface, a core cowl surrounding at least a portion of the core engine. The outer surface of the core cowl defines a peak cowl diameter (D) in the radial direction, and the outer surface of the combustor casing defines a maximum combustor casing diameter (d) along the radial…

Thermal management system for a gas turbine engine

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104535
A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine is provided. The gas turbine engine includes a turbomachine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section arranged in serial flow order and together defining at least in part a core air flowpath; and a thermal management system comprising a supercritical carbon dioxide line thermally coupled to, or integrated into, a portion of the compressor section.

Methods and apparatus for gas turbine frame flow path hardware cooling

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104533
Methods and apparatus for gas turbine frame flow path hardware cooling are disclosed. An example engine fan case includes an outer band and an inner band, the outer band and the inner band connected using a double-walled vane, the vane including openings to pass cooling air flow from the outer band to an airfoil of the fairing, and an end segment seal, the seal formed on an edge of the fairing using an auxetic material.

Cooling system for a turbine engine

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104531
A cooling system for a turbine engine. The turbine engine includes a compressor, a turbine, and a shaft that drivingly couples the compressor and the turbine. The cooling system includes one or more cavities of the compressor. The cooling system includes a shaft flowpath defined in the shaft. The shaft includes one or more shaft apertures that provide fluid communication between the shaft flowpath and the one or more cavities. Air passes through the one or more shaft apertures and the…

Cantilevered airfoils and methods of forming the same

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104501
Cantilevered airfoils and methods of forming the same are disclosed herein. An example airfoil disclosed herein includes an airfoil including an airfoil body including a first face and a second face, a first recessed portion formed in the first face and internal temperature-regulating features and a first insert disposed within the first recessed portion, the first insert causing the airfoil body to assume a first predefined curvature profile at a first temperature, the first insert…

System and method of regulating thermal transport bus pressure

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104499
A method of regulating pressure in a thermal transport bus of a gas turbine engine, the method including: operating the gas turbine engine with the thermal transport bus having an intermediary heat exchange fluid flowing therethrough, the thermal transport bus including one or more heat source heat exchangers and one or more heat sink heat exchangers in thermal communication through the intermediary heat exchanger fluid; and adjusting a flow volume of the thermal transport bus using a…

Titanium alloys and their methods of production

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12104239
A composition of matter is generally provided, in one embodiment, a titanium alloy comprising about 5 wt % to about 8 wt % aluminum; about 2.5 wt % to about 5.5 wt % vanadium; about 0.1 wt % to about 2 wt % of one or more elements selected from the group consisting of iron and molybdenum; about 0.01 wt % to about 0.2 wt % carbon; up to about 0.3 wt % oxygen; silicon and copper; and titanium. A turbine component is also generally provided, in one embodiment, that comprises an article made…

Powder removal floating structures

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12103227
An article of manufacture includes a part structure formed via a first additive manufacturing process and a floating structure within the part structure which is mechanically decoupled from the part structure. The floating structure is formed concurrently with the part structure via the first additive manufacturing process.

System and methods for compensating for calibration plate irregularities in additive manufacturing systems

Granted: October 1, 2024
Patent Number: 12103107
A method of aligning at least one laser beam of an additive manufacturing arrangement. The method includes measuring a surface of the calibration plate at a plurality of measurement points using the coordinate measuring machine. The method further includes generating a correction field based on the plurality of measurement points using the coordinate measuring machine. The method further includes writing at least one fiducial mark on the surface of the calibration plate using the at…

Systems and methods for operating a power generating asset

Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number: 12098708
Systems and methods are provided for controlling a power generating asset having an energy storage device. Accordingly, a controller of the power generating asset initiates a state-change event for the energy storage device. The controller determines an actual equivalent series resistance (ESR) function for the energy storage device based on a change in a first and a second electrical condition at each of a plurality of sampling intervals of the state-change event. The controller…

Gas turbine engine accessory packaging

Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number: 12098649
A gas turbine engine, comprising a turbomachine and a housing at least partially encasing a portion of the turbomachine, the housing having an inner surface and defining in part a void between the inner surface and the portion of the turbomachine, the housing moveable relative to the portion of the turbomachine; and an engine component selectively coupled to the portion of the turbomachine or to the housing.

Cleaning fluids for use in additive manufacturing apparatuses and methods for monitoring status and performance of the same

Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number: 12097709
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to additive manufacturing apparatuses, cleaning stations incorporated therein, and methods of cleaning using the cleaning stations.

Systems and methods for laser processing system characterization and calibration

Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number: 12097558
A method of characterizing an optical system of a laser processing system includes directing an energy beam through a plurality of portions of a sample by adjusting an orientation of an adjustable beam redirection element of the optical system in accordance with a predetermined movement pattern to form a plurality of test patterns in the sample at each portion. The optical system comprises an imaging system having an expected focal position. In the movement pattern, the energy beam is…

Engine component with structural segment

Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number: 12091985
An engine component for a turbine engine, the engine component comprising a wall bounding an interior; a panel portion defining a portion of the wall, the panel portion comprising: an outer wall; an inner wall spaced from the outer wall to define a wall gap; and a structural segment formed within the wall gap comprising at least one structural element. The apparatus formed from a method including calculating a factor and adjusting a variable until the factor is between a given range.

Fuel nozzle and swirler

Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number: 12092332
An engine can utilize a combustor to combust fuel to drive the engine. A fuel nozzle assembly can supply fuel to the combustor for combustion or ignition of the fuel. The fuel nozzle assembly can include a swirler and a fuel nozzle to supply a mixture of fuel and air for combustion. The fuel nozzle assembly can be configured to increase lateral provision of fuels to reduce flame scrubbing on combustor liners for the combustor.

CMC combustor deflector

Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number: 12092329
Combustor dome assemblies having combustor deflectors are provided. For example, a combustor dome assembly comprises a combustor dome defining an opening; a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) deflector positioned adjacent the combustor dome on an aft side of the assembly; a fuel-air mixer defining a groove about an outer perimeter thereof; and a seal plate including a key. The CMC deflector includes a cup extending forward through the opening in the combustor dome that defines one or more…

Flare cone for a mixer assembly of a gas turbine combustor

Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number: 12092324
A flare cone for a mixer assembly includes an annular conical wall extending circumferentially about a mixer assembly centerline, the annular conical wall including a conical inner surface defining a conical opening of the annular conical wall, and an annular axial wall extending in a longitudinal direction with respect to the mixer assembly centerline, the annular axial wall disposed at a radially outward portion of the annular conical wall and connected to the annular conical wall. The…