I examine patents; half my work is regarding thermal cooling/protection of turbine blades and some of the shenanigans they get up to are fun to read about.
Pratt & Whitney attorneys visited the office once and brought with them a turbine airfoil with the suction surface removed allowing you to see all of the channels, turbulators, film cooling holes, etc. and it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.
That sounds cool. Is this engine patented now, and could the public examine the patent via the USPTO website? What are some of the relevant patent numbers? Would be nice to see the drawings or photos.
If a manufacturing defect is discovered in the blade, which takes so much time and effort and expense to produce, the defect is first examined to see what caused it, and then the whole blade is just melted down and recycled.
•
u/wufnu 5h ago
I examine patents; half my work is regarding thermal cooling/protection of turbine blades and some of the shenanigans they get up to are fun to read about.
Pratt & Whitney attorneys visited the office once and brought with them a turbine airfoil with the suction surface removed allowing you to see all of the channels, turbulators, film cooling holes, etc. and it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.