General Electric Company

Ge Aviation Systems Limited

Frank Worthoff

Brandon Wayne Miller

Arthur William Sibbach

David William Crall

Tsuguji Nakano

Egbert Geertsema

Andrew Hudecki

John C Schilling

Courtney James Tudor

Seth Alexander McDonald

Timothy Richard Depuy

Nicholas Joseph Kray

Mark Ernest Vermilyea

Scott Roger Finn

William Howard Hasting

Nicholas M Daggett

Timothy Richard DePuy

Sultan Shair

Lee Alan Blanton

Mathias Ernst Messmer

Benjamin James Roby

William James Strock

Julian O'Flynn

Mile Ostojic

Daryl John Burford

Pawel Pres

Christopher Charles Glynn

Nitesh Jain

Aspi Rustom Wadia

Ming Xie

Daniel Edward Mollmann

Stephen Craig Mitchell

Abhijeet Jayshingrao Yadav

Kenneth Edward Seitzer

Donald George LaChapelle

Gary Willard Bryant, Jr

David Lawrence Bedel

Harjit Singh Hura

Max Robert Farson

Curt Brian Curtis

Richard Thomas Price

Balaraju Suresh

Raymond Gust Holm

Jason Corey Slagle

Eric Pierre Masse

Randy W Vondrell

Julian Thomas O'flynn

A composite airfoil assembly has a composite airfoil, a spar, and a wrap. The composite airfoil has an outer wall and a composite skin. The outer wall extends between a root and a tip. The outer wall defines an interior. The composite skin at least partially defines the outer wall. The spar having a spar centerline axis, a stem, a base, and a transition interconnecting the base and the stem.

Composite airfoil assembly having a composite airfoil and spar

A gas turbine engine comprises a fan, a core turbine engine coupled to the fan, a fan case housing the fan and the core turbine engine, a plurality of outlet guide vanes extending between the core turbine engine and the fan case, and an acoustic spacing. The fan comprises a plurality of fan blades that define a fan diameter and a BEAL. The fan case comprises an inlet and an inlet length between the inlet and the fan. The acoustic spacing comprises a distance between the fan and the plurality of outlet guide vanes, and in combination with the BEAL determines an acoustic spacing ratio of the gas turbine engine. The combination of acoustic spacing and corrected specific thrust provide enhanced propulsive efficiency.

Gas turbine engine with acoustic spacing of the fan blades and outlet guide vanes

A gas turbine engine comprises a fan, a core turbine engine coupled to the fan, a fan case housing the fan and the core turbine engine, a plurality of outlet guide vanes extending between the core turbine engine and the fan case, and an acoustic spacing. Relationships between acoustic spacing and a high-speed shaft rating allow for a gas turbine engine that reduces noise emissions while maintaining high performance.

A gas turbine engine comprises a fan, a core turbine engine coupled to the fan, a fan case housing the fan and the core turbine engine, a plurality of outlet guide vanes extending between the core turbine engine and the fan case, and an acoustic spacing. Acoustic spacing comprises a distance between the fan and the plurality of outlet guide vanes, and in combination with the use of airfoils with leading edge protectors for both various stages of blades and vanes, the engine effectively reduces noise emissions, enhances aerodynamic efficiency, and improves structural durability.

A trunnion-to-disk connection for use on an open fan configuration of a gas turbine engine may include an integral trunnion and blade spar inserted through a trunnion aperture of a fan disk and supported by top bearing and a bottom bearing. A cavity can be provided between a trunnion of the integral trunnion and blade spar and the fan disk, as well as between the top bearing and bottom bearing. Pressurized hydraulic fluid can be supplied to the cavity to urge the integral trunnion and blade spar in a direction to preload the bearings. Prior to pressurization, and prior to installation of the bottom bearing, the trunnion can be inserted into a trunnion aperture of the fan disk such that an end of the trunnion extends past the fan disk to provide sufficient space to insert the bottom bearing from within the open interior of the fan disk.

Trunnion-to-disk connection for an open fan configuration aircraft powerplant

A gas turbine engine comprises a fan, a core turbine engine coupled to the fan, a fan case housing the fan and the core turbine engine, a plurality of outlet guide vanes extending between the core turbine engine and the fan case, and an acoustic spacing. The fan comprises a plurality of fan blades that define a fan diameter and a BEAL. The fan case comprises an inlet and an inlet length between the inlet and the fan. The acoustic spacing comprises a distance between the fan and the plurality of outlet guide vanes, and in combination with the BEAL determines an acoustic spacing ratio of the gas turbine engine.

An apparatus a multiple layer structure having a sub-portion defining an impact zone, and having an inner composite fiber layer, an outer composite fiber layer overlying the inner composite fiber layer, and a woven glass layer, where the inner composite fiber layer, outer composite fiber layer, and the woven glass layer overly the impact zone.

Multiple layer structure

An apparatus and method for a multiple layer fan casing surrounding a fan having a plurality of circumferentially spaced blades rotatable about a rotational axis and having a sub-portion defining a blade impact zone, the multiple layers comprising an inner fiber layer confronting the blades, an outer fiber layer overlying the inner carbon layer, a glass layer sandwiched between the inner and outer composite fiber layers.

Fan casing with annular shell

A method for applying at least one ply onto a tool or an uncured composite layup disposed on the tool includes automatically controlling slidably removing at least one nonstick separator relative to the at least one ply positioned on the at least one nonstick separator to inhibit at least a portion of the at least one ply from adhering to the tool or uncured composite layup while applying a moving compressive force to an outer surface of the at least one ply relative to a moving trailing edge of the at least one nonstick separator to adhere at least a portion of the at least one ply to the tool or to the uncured composite layup.

Methods and systems for automated ply layup for composites

A vane includes a composite airfoil having a single dovetail root extending chordwise between or near leading and trailing edges of the airfoil. The root is connected to the airfoil and is slidably received in a dovetail slot in an inner vane mount. The dovetail slot has a triangular slot cross section and a flat slot bottom and flat slot pressure and suction side crush faces corresponding to pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. The root has a triangular root cross section, a flat root bottom, and flat dovetail root pressure and suction side crush faces. A biasing means urges the root bottom of the dovetail root away from the slot bottom and presses and preloads the dovetail root pressure and suction side crush faces against the slot pressure and suction side slot crush faces.

Composite vane mounting

A vane includes a composite airfoil having one or more pockets and one or more spars received therein respectively. The spars extending radially away from a bridge of a vane mount supporting airfoil. The spars may be integrally formed with the bridge. The spars may be adhesively bonded to the composite airfoil within the pockets. A passage may extend between an airfoil base and an airfoil tip. A gas turbine engine annular fan frame includes an annular row of the composite outlet guide vanes extending radially between and connecting radially inner and outer rings of the fan frame.

Vane with spar mounted composite airfoil

A vane includes a composite airfoil having one or more outer pockets and one or more outer spars received therein respectively. The outer spars extending radially inwardly from an outer bridge of the outer vane mount outwardly supporting airfoil. The spars may be integrally formed with the bridge and adhesively bonded to the composite airfoil within the pockets with a passage extending between an airfoil base and an airfoil tip. A metallic leading edge tip may be disposed along the leading edge of the composite airfoil. A gas turbine engine annular fan frame incorporates the vanes in an annular row of composite outlet guide vanes extending radially between and connecting radially inner and outer rings of the fan frame.

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West Chester, OH, United States of America

Frank Worthoff