United Technologies Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Edward A Rothman

John E Holowczak

John A Violette

Robert Telakowski

Robert Sherman

Merritt B Andrews

Charles E Carlson

Constance Bird

Gary E Sanders

William Mandelbaum

Anthony F Giamei

A shaft assembly includes a metallic portion and a ceramic portion. In a disclosed example, a ceramic shaft has a generally conical end that is at least partially received within a generally conical recess in one end of a metallic shaft. The recess has a first portion that has an inner surface that is received directly against a corresponding outer surface on a section of the ceramic shaft conical portion. A second portion of the recess is radially spaced from the ceramic shaft and provides a controlled gap within which a braze alloy is maintained. In one example, the second portion has an axial length that is more than twice a radial depth of the second portion. In another example, a transition surface between the first and second portions of the recess has a linear profile.

Ceramic-to-metal shaft assembly

Improved prop-fan stability is achieved by providing each blade of the prop-fan with a leading edge which, outwardly, from a location thereon at the mid-span of the blade, occupy generally a single plane.

Prop-fan with improved stability

A structural composite panel comprises a pair of filament-reinforced composite facing sheets and a ruffled, corrugated core secured between the facing sheets. The core has corrugations each with an axis having periodic oscillations in plane of the core and with the axis generally normal to filament direction.

Composite structure

A large wind turbine rotor blade having a filament wound composite spar securely mounted to a support structure in a manner by which blade loads are transmitted via redundant load paths. Concentric inner and outer metallic adapter sleeves are bonded to the inboard end of the blade spar, and the adapter sleeves and blade spar are joined by a first series of shear bolts and nuts which pass radially through the spar. A second series of radially extending bolts and nuts join the inner and outer sleeves slightly inboard of the end of the spar. The end of the spar is of slightly reduced diameter forming a conical surface which interacts with the inner and outer sleeves to produce a positive lock when the blade is subject to centrifugal loads. The outer sleeve is adapted to be connected to the support structure by conventional techniques such as by a plurality of bolts which extend axially into the butt end of the outer sleeve.

Wind turbine blade retention device

A fan blade having a breakaway leading edge positioned on the spar and shell that constitute the main structure of the blade, the leading edge being adapted to break away, in part at least, upon being struck by a large foreign object, with the shell providing an acceptable leading edge after the breakaway.

Breakaway fan blade

A filament-reinforced composite article is fabricated from monolayer boron fiber tapes and laminates of titanium. The tapes which have the boron fibers attached to an aluminum foil are positioned in a multi-ply layup with interleaved titanium laminates in the form of foils or screening. The layup is subjected to heat and pressure in a diffusion bonding process to compact the layup materials and bond the fibers in the matrix of aluminum and titanium. The titanium in the matrix improves the impact load resistance of the article by improving ductility and impact strength.

Growing community of inventors

South Glastonbury, CT, United States of America

Edward A Rothman