Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Space Industries Partnership, L.p.

Herbert E Ferree

Frank W Cooper, Jr

Lawrence D Nottingham

Harry N Andrews

Thomas R Wagner

Joseph R Herberg

Dirk J Boomgaard

Richard M Kobuck

Daniel E Klinvex

Arthur F Jacobs

Robert P Vestovich

Michael D Hecht

William S Beal

George W Norris

Ellen J Revelj

William J Varley

Thomas J Donnelly

A ring latched coupler includes a male assembly having a plurality of grooves and a female assembly having a plurality of slots. The female assembly is configured to receive the male assembly. A latching ring is rotatably carried by the female assembly. The latching ring is configured such that upon rotation of the male and female assemblies relative to the latching ring, portions of the latching ring extend through the slots in the female assembly to engage grooves in the male assembly.

Ring latched coupler

An apparatus for removing a feedthrough connector mounted in an internally-threaded access opening in a wall of a pressurized vessel includes an elongated hollow sleeve defining a chamber and having upper and lower opposite open ends. A flange mounting an O-ring is fixed on the lower open end of the sleeve for sealably attaching the sleeve to the vessel wall about the access opening thereof and the connector mounted therein. A cap is sealably mounted to the upper open end of the sleeve for closing the same, but is removable for opening the upper sleeve open end. A tool shaft extends through the cap and is vertically reciprocally movable relative to the cap and through the sleeve chamber between upper and lower sleeve ends. The shaft is operable for engaging the connector, unthreading the same from the wall access opening and lifting the connector to the upper sleeve end. Removal of the cap will remove the shaft and connector engaged therewith from the sleeve. A gate valve mounted to the sleeve inbetween its upper and lower ends is actuatable to sealably close the chamber so as to divide it into upper and lower portions sealed from one another and to open it to allow communication between the upper and lower chamber portions. A vent valve connected in communication with the sleeve about the gate valve is operable to bent atmosphere external of the sleeve with the upper chamber portion thereof.

Apparatus and method for removing and replacing a feedthrough connector

A rack for holding a plurality of tools includes a plate member having openings for receiving tools, detent pins for releasably securing the plate member to a surface, detent clips associated with each opening for releasably securing a tool within the associated opening and pin members associated with each opening for interacting with a tool using device to permit engagement and disengagement of the tool to the tool using device.

Portable robotic tool rack

A rotary coupling for transmitting torque across a plurality of flexible electrical wires is disclosed herein. The coupling generally comprises a tubular assembly for resisting flexure loads applied to the coupling that has a fixed portion and a rotatable portion, and a shaft member concentrically disposed within the tubular assembly for transmitting torque. First and second connectors are mounted around the inner wall of the fixed and rotatable portions of the tublular assembly, respectively and the second connector mechanically mounts the rotatable portion of the tubular assembly with the shaft member. A plurality of flexible electrical wires are disposed between the inner wall of the tubular assembly and the outer wall of the shaft member. Each of these wires includes a slack poriton which is loosely wound around the shaft member and connected at either end to the first and second connectors, respectively. The disposition of the electrical wires within the tubular assembly obviates the need for a separate housing around the rotary coupling, and the provision of a mechanically separate flexure-resisting tubular assembly and torque-transmitting shaft results in a coupling having an advantageously small diameter.

Wire conducting rotary coupling having separate torque conducting and

A rotary coupling for conducting rotational movement across a plurality of electrical wires is disclosed herein which applies a minimum amount of stress on the wires. The coupling generally comprises first and second concentrically disposed tubular members rotatably movable with respect to one another and a skirt member circumscribing one of the tubular members which defines a recess for receiving U-shaped slack portions present in each of the wires. In operation, the U-shaped slack portions extend into and retract out of the recess whenever the coupling members are rotated relative to one another. The rotary coupling effectively transmits torque and high electrical currents in environments where the use of slip rings is undesirable, such as outer space, and is particularly useful within a movable support arm which connects a solar panel to the main body of a space facility.

Wire conducting rotary coupling employing protective skirt

A trapped air displacement device includes a flexible gas fillable bladder 30 and a device 34 for inserting the bladder 30 into a bottle bore 8 of a turbine or generator shaft 14. The flexible bladder 30 displaces the air trapped in the bottle bore region 8, so that it will escape along the slightly tilted surface of the shaft 14. A protective tube 34 is provided for the fragile bladder 30 during positioning. The bladder 30 can be inflated through an inner tube 32. The bladder 30 can also be inflated by sealing a small amount of gas in the bladder 30 and tube 30 and applying a vacuum to the shaft 14.

Bladder device and method for displacing air in a bottle bore shaft

A hermetic feedthrough change-out module device which can be mounted on a wall of a pressurized vessel includes a mounting base ring attached to the pressurized vessel wall about an access opening therein, and a feedthrough seal module removably mated in sealing relation to the mounting base ring. The seal module is adapted to mount at least one sealable feedthrough connector which is operable for attaching utility components thereto for routing utility services from the exterior to the interior of the pressurized vessel. The module device also includes inner and outer covers. The inner cover is removably mountable in sealing relation to the seal module for sealing off the interior of the pressurized vessel from the seal module and a feedthrough connector when the latter is mounted thereon. The outer cover is removably mountable in sealing relation to the mounting base ring for sealing off the seal module from the exterior of the pressurized vessel. Venting elements are mounted to the inner cover and seal module that are operable respectively for equalizing the pressure at the interior of the pressurized vessel with the pressure between the inner cover and seal module and for equalizing the pressure at the interior of the pressurized vessel with the pressure between the outer cover and seal module.

Hermetic feedthrough change-out module device and method for use in a

A shipping and storage enclosure for an ultrasonic inspection system used to inspect turbine and generator rotors from the bore which is flooded with water and which enclosure can be expanded into an operating enclosure in which the environment is controlled to provide for affective operation of the equipment and provide for alignment of the ultrasonic sensing head with the bore of the rotor shaft.

Apparatus for ultrasonically inspecting a large shaft from a

A system for deaerating water utilized to flood a bore of a turbine rotor which is to be ultrasonically inspected in which the bore is inclined and evacuated and heated water enters the bore and impinges on a surface that breaks up the influent stream of water to substantially increase its surface area to assist in the deaeration, the bore being connected to a trough partially filled with heated water to a level above the bore to maintain the flooded condition of the bore during the ultrasonic inspection.

Water treatment system for ultrasonic inspection of turbine rotors from

Calibration apparatus for calibrating an ultrasonic transducer array by moving it along an arcuate calibration test member, includes four upright posts interconnected by a rectangular carriage which is slidably movable vertically along the posts. A horizontal pivot shaft is rotatably mounted on the carriage. Fixed to the shaft and depending therefrom are two pendulum arms, interconnected at their lower ends by a pair of cross bars on which is slidably mounted a mounting block. An attachment rod is vertically slidably movable in the mounting block and carries a coupling joint at its lower end for mounting the transducer array. A reversible gearmotor drives the pivot shaft through a chain and sprocket assembly in an oscillating motion. Backlash in the gear train is reduced by a bias weight.

Adjustable radius apparatus for calibrating ultrasonic transducer array

The invention comprises a core barrel plug capable of being remotely installed in a port of a core barrel of a pressurized water nuclear reactor for converting the reactor from a by-pass downflow configuration to a by-pass upflow configuration. The plug comprises a body having an expandable cylindrical portion with a movable mandrel disposed in the body. Remote fluid pressurization causes the mandrel to be advanced thus expanding the body into contact with the port. The plug also comprises a locking mechanism to prevent inadvertent release of the plug and a venting mechanism to prevent inadvertent overpressurization of the plug.

Core barrel plug

An improved electric actuator is provided, having in association therewith a resolver. The actuator includes a stationary and a rotatable housing, and an electric motor within it. The electric motor drives the rotary housing through a speed reducing harmonic drive mechanism. The actuator has an opening in the rotary housing, and a cavity inwardly of the opening having a mating anchoring element connected with the stationary housing. A modular resolver is provided, of a shape and size to have a major portion of it occupy the cavity provided in the actuator, and having a mating part for engaging the mating part of the stationary housing, upon assemblage of the resolver to the actuator. A rotatable part of the resolver is secured to the rotary housing. A heat dissipation system is provided, including a fan mounted on a rotary member of the actuator and a closed circuit for the passage of air between the fan and a heat conductive plate forming a part of the stationary housing. Stability for the rotary housing is provided by widely spaced ball bearings supporting a rotary shaft extending from the rotary housing, the ball bearings being located at the maximum axial spacing within the stationary housing. In addition, an electromagnetic brake of lightweight construction is provided to prevent rotation of the rotary housing, and the resolver includes a coupling of the bellows type for elastic isolation from distortion of the parts, due to stresses between the fixed and rotary parts of the resolver.

Lightweight electric robotic actuator

A robotic manipulator wrist has one part 10 rotatable relative to the other part 12 of the wrist, and gear trains 16, 18, 20, operates to rotate the end effector shaft 14 when a brake 36 is applied to prevent relative movement between the two parts 10 and 12, and to rotate one part 10 relative to the other part 12 when a second brake 38 is applied to prevent relative movement between the end effector gear 18 and the intermediate gear 16.

Robotic wrist

An automatic tensioning control for winding stator coils characterized by a looper for winding lengths of wire into loops for stator coils, a reel of wire for paying off wire to the looper under controlled conditions, and tension sensing means between the reel and looper for measuring the tension on the wire and for providing an indicating signal for applying a restraining torque on the reel.

Automatic tensioning control for winding stator coils

This invention provides a novel and unique hand-held tape wrapping apparatus that is comprised generally of a support frame with a rotating plate mounted to the frame. Means of mounting a roll of tape or spool of similar material to the rotating plate is provided with a constant tension control applied directly to the tape that decreases the tension applied to the tape roll as the tape is unwound. The rotating plate is driven at variable speeds by a trigger controlled air motor that allows the operator to control the speed and easily handle the apparatus as he applies the tape.

Growing community of inventors

Hempfield Township, PA, United States of America

Herbert E Ferree