Pratt-whitney Canada Corp

George Guglielmin

Enzo Macchia

Joe Lanzino

Andreas Eleftheriou

Barry Barnett

Bhawan Bhai Patel

Thomas McDonough

Oleg Morenko

Tom McDonough

Melinda Bissinger

A fan blade of a gas turbine engine is disclosed which is composed of an airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge, and a root with a platform and a blade fixing for engaging a fan hub. The fan blade is composed of a core substrate selected from the group consisting of composites and polymers, and an entirety of the airfoil and the root of the fan blade has a nanocrystalline metal outer layer thereon which forms an outer surface fully enveloping the fan blade. The nanocrystalline metal layer formed of a nanocrystalline metal coating has an average grain size of between 10 nm and 500 nm, and the nanocrystalline metal outer layer forms a structural element of the fan blade.

Airfoil blade

A stator airfoil of a gas turbine engine according to one embodiment includes at least two winglets projecting transversely from opposed sides of a stator airfoil, respectively. Each winglet includes a leading edge axially and outwardly extending from one of the opposed sides of the stator airfoil and a trailing edge extending from the stator airfoil to join with the leading edge of the winglet. The winglets therefore provide a wide trailing edge thereof to aerodynamically manage boundary layers and micro-shocks of a working fluid.

Gas turbine stator with winglets

A fan blade of a gas turbine engine, and a method of producing same, is disclosed which is composed of a core substrate and a nanocrystalline metal coating provided on at least a portion of the airfoil of the fan blade. The method includes the steps of providing a fan blade core having an airfoil and then applying a nanocrystalline metal coating over at least a portion of the fan blade core.

An airfoil blade of a gas turbine engine includes a root configured for mating attachment with a cooperating rotor hub and an airfoil extending away from the root. The root is composed of a first metal and has a nanocrystalline metal coating, composed of a second metal, over at least a portion thereof. A method of protecting such a blade by applying a nanocrystalline metal coating to a portion of the blade root is also disclosed.

Gas turbine blade and method of protecting same

There is described a portable data transmission unit comprising a communications link for electrical connection to an aircraft engine to be maintained; an application coupled to a processor and configured for capturing in real time performance data indicative of a performance of the aircraft engine and making the performance data available for analysis upon landing of the aircraft, retrieving maintenance data related to the aircraft engine and performing maintenance operations on the aircraft engine; a user interface to display the maintenance data and receive input data, the maintenance operations performed on the aircraft engine directly through the data transmission unit using the input data and the maintenance data; a microphone to convert sound waves into an electric current; a speaker to convert analog audio signals into air vibrations to make audible sound; and a transceiver to transmit and receive in real time voice and data signals wirelessly across a network.

Real-time aircraft maintenance terminal

There is described a method for maintenance of an aircraft component, the method comprising: connecting electrically to the aircraft component via a maintenance terminal; retrieving maintenance data relating to the aircraft component using the maintenance terminal; performing maintenance operations on the aircraft component by entering data via a user interface on the maintenance terminal; and communicating in real time with a remote operator by transmitting and receiving at least one of voice signals and data signals wirelessly across a network via the maintenance terminal while performing the maintenance operations.

There is provided an integrated fuel nozzle and ignition assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising a body having a fuel nozzle portion and an igniter portion. The fuel nozzle portion defines a fuel passage extending therethrough between a fuel inlet and a fuel outlet for directing a fuel flow into a combustion chamber. The igniter portion projects laterally from the fuel nozzle portion on a side thereof and comprises an igniter receiving cavity positioned adjacently and laterally on a side of the fuel passage. The assembly further comprises an igniter secured in the igniter receiving cavity for igniting the fuel flow discharged by the fuel passage.

Growing community of inventors

Toronto, Canada

George Guglielmin