General Electric Company

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Donald Michael Corsmeier

Michael Todd Radwanski

Bernard James Renggli

Michael Alan Stieg

Kenneth L Johnson

Eric H Lewis

William L Weaver

Ming Xie

Mark Eugene Noe

Aaron Michael Dziech

James Harding Shealy

Donald Scott Yeager

Jessica Licardi Subit

Valeria Proano Cadena

Steven Kirgiss

Oliver Roghe

Jeffrey Douglas Rambo

James Thompson

Craig Douglas Young

Mark Willard Marusko

Donald Lee Gardner

Robert Louis Ponziani

Daniel Dale Brown

Ramon Martinez

David Bruce Patterson

Peter Andrew Flynn

David Perveiler

Gregg Hunt Wilson

Glenn Edward Wiehe

Scott Matthew Bush

Paul Charles Johnson

Nicholas Philip Poccia

Benjamin Paul Breig

Kurt J Bonner

Matthew John Hurt

Anthony Michael Gunasekera

David Lynn Dawson

George Joseph Johnson

Nicholas Allan Wilson

Michael Joseph Zerbe

Andrew Keppeler

Dale Szul

Stephen G Browning

Bryan Harris Farrar

Bryan Robert Dery

Keith Alan Joerger

Matthew John Hunt

David Andrew Perveiler

In some embodiments, apparatuses are provided herein useful to sealing a gap, such as a gap between a gas turbine engine nozzle flap and sidewall. An apparatus for sealing such a gap may be a plunger seal that includes a plunger, a retaining element, a guide pin, and a biasing element. The plunger includes a sealing edge and an actuating edge having at least one recess and an opening formed therein. The biasing element and a portion of the guide pin are nested in the recess. The retaining element anchor the plunger to the retaining element. The retaining element also anchors the plunger seal to the housing When installed in a gap, the housing engages the flap and the plunger engages the sidewall. The biasing element is under compression and urges the guide pin into the actuating edge to urge the plunger toward the sidewall and seal the gap.

Plunger seal apparatus and sealing method

A liner support system for an exhaust liner in an aircraft engine. The liner support system includes a plurality of posts that space the exhaust liner from the exhaust duct, the plurality of posts spacing the exhaust liner from the exhaust duct further supporting the exhaust liner. Each post includes an interface region adjacent to the back side of the exhaust liner sealed to the back side of the exhaust liner, a shank extending to a low pressure region, and a hollow passageway internal to the shank, providing fluid communication between the interface region and the low pressure region. The low pressure region results in pressure against the liner, pulling the liner adjacent the post interface region against the post while preventing fluid leakage between the exhaust liner and the interface region. The posts create a pattern of alternating pressures in the liner allowing for elimination of hangers.

Liner support system

In some embodiments, apparatuses are provided herein useful to sealing a gap between a movable flap and a stationary structure, such as a gap between a gas turbine engine nozzle flap and a corresponding sidewall. An apparatus for sealing such a gap may be a dynamic skirted leaf seal which may include a flap arm and a wall arm opposite the flap arm. A distal end portion of the flap arm may comprise a first skirt and the distal end portion of the wall arm may comprise a second skirt that engages the first skirt. When positioned in a gap between the movable flap and the stationary structure, the skirted leaf seal may exert a force to urge the flap arm towards the flap and to urge the wall arm towards the structure to seal the gap.

Skirted leaf seal apparatus

Apparatuses are provided herein useful to sealing a gap between a movable flap and a stationary structure, such as a gap between a gas turbine engine nozzle flap and a corresponding sidewall. An apparatus for sealing such a gap may be a dynamic skirted leaf seal which may include a flap arm, a wall arm opposite the flap arm, and a support arm disposed between the flap and wall arms. A distal end portion of the flap arm may comprise a first skirt and a distal end portion of the support arm may comprise a second skirt that engages the first skirt. When positioned in a gap, the skirted leaf seal may exert a force to urge the first flap arm towards the flap and to urge the wall arm and the support arm towards the structure to seal the gap.

Skirted seal apparatus

Apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to sealing a dynamic gap between a moveable flap and a sidewall. The apparatus may be a seal assembly that includes a spring body, a clip coupled to a distal end of the spring body, and a wear shoe coupled to the clip. The spring body includes a flap arm adjacent the flap and a wall arm adjacent the sidewall. The flap arm and the wall arm bias away from one another when under compression in the gap. A distal end of the wall arm includes a first knuckle and a second knuckle that are pivotally coupled to the clip to create a hinge feature. The wear shoe is pivotally coupled to the clip to create another hinge feature. A distal end of the flap arm includes a skirt that is received by the clip seal an interior space of the spring body.

Seal assembly and sealing method

Combustor assemblies are provided. For example, a combustor assembly includes a combustor liner defining a combustion chamber and an annular combustor dome positioned at a forward end of the combustor liner that defines a plurality of dome apertures. The combustor assembly further includes an annular heat shield positioned between the combustor dome and the combustion chamber, a plurality of adapters positioned forward of the heat shield, and a plurality of collars. The heat shield defines a plurality of heat shield apertures that are aligned with the dome apertures. One adapter is attached to the combustor dome at each dome aperture, and the adapters are. One collar extends through each heat shield aperture to couple the heat shield to the combustor dome. Further, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) heat shields are provided that may include an annular body defining a plurality of heat shield apertures, as well as inner and outer wings.

Combustor heat shield and attachment features

An apparatus for continuous powder-based additive manufacturing of a large annular object or multiple smaller objects simultaneously is described. The build unit(s) of the apparatus includes a powder delivery mechanism, a powder recoating mechanism and an irradiation beam directing mechanism. The build unit(s) is attached to a rotating mechanism such that the build unit(s) rotates around and above the annular powder bed during production. The rotating mechanism is supported onto a central tower, and both the rotating mechanism and the tower are concentric with the non-rotating annular powder bed. An additive manufacturing method using the apparatus involves repetitive and continuous cycles of at least simultaneously rotating the build unit(s) to deposit powder onto the powder bed and irradiating the powder to form a fused additive layer. The continuous additive manufacturing process may be further aided with a helical configuration of the powder bed build surface.

Apparatus and method for continuous additive manufacturing

Combustor assemblies for gas turbine engines are provided. For example, a combustor assembly comprises a combustor dome, a first heat shield having an edge, a second heat shield having an edge, and a seal extending from the edge of the first heat shield to the edge of the second heat shield such that the seal spans a gap between the first heat shield and the second heat shield. In another embodiment, the seal has a first contact portion contacting the edge of the first heat shield, a second contact portion contacting the edge of the second heat shield edge, and a connecting portion connecting the first portion and the second portion. The first contact portion and the second contact portion project away from the connecting portion. Methods for sealing between adjacent heat shields of a combustor assembly also are provided.

Combustor heat shield sealing

An additive manufacturing apparatus for building an object is provided. The apparatus includes a build chamber having at least one chamber wall, a powder delivery mechanism, and a build platform. The build chamber and build platform defines while in operation a powder bed. At least one surface of the build chamber or build platform is moveable in a manner that is capable of adjusting forces on the object in the powder bed.

Movable wall for additive powder bed

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing (AM) that utilize compression chambers to reduce pressure on grown objects. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method for fabricating an object. The method includes (a) irradiating a layer of powder in a build area above a build platform to form a fused region; (b) providing a subsequent layer of powder over the build area; and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until at least a portion of the object, at least one chamber, and a tube are formed in the build area. The chamber encloses a region of unfused powder and the tube extends from a passage within the build platform to the chamber. The method also includes (d) removing unfused powder from within the chamber via the tube and the passage. The disclosure also provides an apparatus for forming compression chambers within an object.

Methods and apparatuses to grow compression chambers in powder based additive manufacturing to relieve powder loading on grown part

Combustor assemblies and combustor heat shields are provided. As one example, a combustor assembly comprises a flow path assembly including an outer wall, an inner wall, and a combustor dome that define a combustion chamber and are formed from a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material. The combustor dome defines a plurality of dome openings, and a heat shield is positioned between the combustor dome and the combustion chamber that comprises a plurality of heat shield segments. Each heat shield segment defines a heat shield aperture that is aligned with a dome opening, and an aft surface of each segment is concave and a forward surface of each segment is convex. One of a plurality of fuel-air mixers is positioned through each heat shield aperture and dome opening, and one collar of a plurality of collars extends through each heat shield aperture to couple the heat shield to the fuel-air mixer.

Various methods and assemblies are provided for producing composite components having formed in features. For example, a method may comprise depositing a composite material on a base tool; aligning an aperture forming tool with a tooling aperture in the base tool; inserting the aperture forming tool through the composite material to form an aperture in the composite material; deploying a feature forming tool to press the composite material into one or more recesses; and processing the composite material with the feature forming tool in contact with the composite material. In some embodiments, the feature forming tool includes a stem extending through the composite material and into the base tool, as well as a feature forming head that is brought into contact with and processed with the composite material. In other embodiments, a tooling assembly holds a pin in place during processing to fix the pin in the composite component.

Methods and assemblies for forming features in composite components

An apparatus for powder-based additive manufacturing of an object is provided. The apparatus includes a powder delivery mechanism, a powder recoating mechanism, an irradiation beam directing mechanism and a temperature control mechanism that at least measures a real-time temperature of at least one growing part of a built object. The apparatus includes a build unit, a positioning mechanism, and a rotating mechanism. The build unit attaches to the positioning mechanism providing the build unit with independent movements in at least two dimensions. The build unit also attaches to the rotating mechanism and rotates around and above a build platform during production. A method of manufacturing the object using the apparatus includes repetitive cycles of depositing powder onto a build platform, irradiating at least one selected portion of the powder to form at least one fused layer, and measuring a real-time temperature of at least one selected portion of the at least one fused layer.

Apparatus and method for additive manufacturing with real-time and in-situ adjustment of growth parameters

A heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger core, a header defining a header manifold, and a transition portion that provides fluid communication between the heat exchanger core and the header manifold. The transition portion includes a transition tube extending between the header and the heat exchanger core, a header junction where the transition tube joins the header, and a splitting junction that splits the transition tube into the plurality of heat exchange tubes. The header junction may define elliptical inlet apertures, a large filleted joint, and a junction thickness that is greater than a header wall thickness.

Additively manufactured heat exchanger

Growing community of inventors

West Chester, OH, United States of America

Donald Michael Corsmeier