General Electric Company

Drew Michael Capps

Suryarghya Chakrabarti

Yoon Seok Choi

Gregory Terrence Garay

Stefan Joseph Cafaro

Syed J Khalid

David Marion Ostdiek

Nicholas M Daggett

Mark Joseph Mielke

William Joseph Solomon

Gary W Bryant

Carl Lawrence MacMahon

Kevin E Turner

Julie Ann Duselis

Phillip Schultz

Matthew Truong

Matthew Vincent Gettemy

A system for preventing abnormal fan blade deflection or fan flutter includes an optical emitting source, an optical receiver, and a retroreflector for attachment to a fan blade of an engine. The system emits radiant flux from the optical emitting source towards the retroreflector when the engine is operating; receives an incident radiant flux from the retroreflector by the optical receiver; determines a deflection value of the fan blade based on the incident radiant flux received by the optical receiver; determines whether the deflection value is greater than or equal to a threshold for deflection of the fan blade to identify abnormal fan blade deflection or fan flutter; and selectively changes a state of the engine when abnormal fan blade deflection or fan flutter is identified.

Preventing abnormal fan blade deflection or fan flutter with retroreflectors

A rotor system for a turbine engine. The rotor system includes a rotor assembly and a stator assembly. The rotor assembly includes a plurality of rotor blades that rotate. The stator assembly includes a plurality of stator vanes arranged circumferentially about the stator assembly and includes at least one pair of non-uniform gaps between adjacent stator vanes. The plurality of stator vanes includes a first group of stator vanes having a first non-uniform gap between adjacent stator vanes, a second group of stator vanes having a second non-uniform gap between adjacent stator vanes, and a third group of stator vanes having a uniform spacing between adjacent stator vanes. The first non-uniform gap is positioned 180° from the second non-uniform gap. The plurality of rotor blades directs air through the plurality of stator vanes.

Rotor system for a turbine engine

An engine for aeromechanical instability abatement includes a sensor configured to capture data from rotating blades of the engine system, a airflow effector device, and an engine controller. The engine controller is configured to control the airflow effector device according to a nominal schedule, detect, based on a signal from the sensor indicating a vibration amplitude of the rotating blades within a frequency band, an incipient instability condition, in response to the incipient instability condition being present, determine a modified control parameter for at least one of the airflow effector device, and control the airflow effector device according to the modified control parameter, deviating from the nominal schedule.

Aircraft engine aeromechanical instability detection

A rotating airfoil including a body and a vibration absorber located within the body. The body has a root end and a tip. The rotating airfoil has a natural frequency, and the vibration absorber has a natural frequency. The natural frequency of the vibration absorber is different than the natural frequency of the rotating airfoil.

Rotating airfoil assembly

A rotating airfoil assembly including a rotation axis and a plurality of rotating airfoils configured to rotate about the rotation axis. Each rotating airfoil of the rotating airfoils includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction surface between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a pressure surface between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The suction surface and the pressure surface are positioned on opposite sides of the rotating airfoil such that, when airflows over the suction surface and the pressure surface of the rotating airfoil as the rotating airfoil rotates about the rotation axis, the rotating airfoil generates lift. At least one opening is located on one of the suction surface or the pressure surface. The at least one opening is configured to eject air or to draw air into the opening.

Rotating airfoil assembly with opening formed therein to eject or to draw air

An apparatus for an aircraft engine that is configured for actively adjusting physical characteristics of an airfoil. The apparatus includes an airfoil that has a body and a filler that is embedded within the body. A source for electromagnetic energy is positioned in a portion of the engine and configured to generate electromagnetic energy having a predetermined range which encompasses the airfoil. A physical property of the filler is configured to change between a first state in the absence of electromagnetic energy and a second state in the presence of electromagnetic energy. The airfoil has a first airfoil characteristic when the filler is in the first state and the airfoil has a second airfoil characteristic when the filler is in the second state.

Active airfoil vibration control

A vibration-damping component, a gas turbine engine having the vibration-damping component and a method for forming such component are disclosed. The vibration-damping component comprises a body formed from an additive manufacturing material by an additive manufacturing process and defining a cavity within the body, and a vibration damper disposed within the cavity. The vibration damper comprises a damping element and a damping medium containing a viscoelastic material surrounding the damping element. The damping element has a relative motion when the component vibrates.

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Avon, IN, United States of America

Drew Michael Capps