Henry P Offer

US Patent:

6373019, Apr 16, 2002

Filed:

Jun 9, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/590677

Inventors:

Henry P. Offer - Los Gatos CA
Siamak Bourbour - San Jose CA
William F. Bowen - Santa Cruz CA
Bryan K. Chavez - San Jose CA
Ron B. Ninomiya - San Jose CA

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

B23K 900

US Classification:

219 72

Abstract:

An underwater exclusion device includes a housing for a welding torch having leading and trailing arrays of pivotal fingers for engaging in grooves along a work surface to exclude water from an exclusion area within the housing containing the welding torch. The fingers are pivotally mounted and independently and individually movable under the bias of springs between retracted and extended positions. The fingers have radiussed distal ends for engaging the work surface. Upon application of the device to the work surface, the leading and trailing arrays of fingers are displaced under spring pressure to engage their distal ends against the work surface, excluding water from within the housing. The side walls of the housing carry seals for seating along the work surface to prevent water incursion in gaps between the side walls and the work surface.

US Patent:

6417476, Jul 9, 2002

Filed:

Jun 9, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/590676

Inventors:

Henry P. Offer - Los Gatos CA
Siamak Bourbour - San Jose CA
Ron B. Ninomiya - San Jose CA
Bryan K. Chavez - San Jose CA

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

B23K 900

US Classification:

219 72, 405 12

Abstract:

A housing for an underwater processing device, for example, welding, includes a welding head movable laterally relative to the housing and the direction of the weld. At opposite ends, gates are provided having arcuate convex surfaces forming edge seals for engaging in the groove of the work surface. In one form, the gates are linearly slidable and biased in a direction away from the housing. In another form, the gates are pivotally mounted for engaging in the grooves. In both cases, the compliant seal about the margin of the housing, together with the arcuate seal of the gates, maintains a substantially water-free area within the housing to enable processing.

US Patent:

6605794, Aug 12, 2003

Filed:

Sep 3, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/232653

Inventors:

Henry Peter Offer - Santa Cruz CA
Eric Russel Willis - San Jose CA

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

B23K 1100

US Classification:

219 7617, 219 7801, 219 7802

Abstract:

Electrical resistance welding with low heat input in conjunction with applied forces effecting compressive forces in the weld are utilized to weld materials sensitive to hot cracking. An electrode coupled with a force applicator performs a low heat input resistance-type weld with triaxial compressive forces introduced in the weld to prevent or inhibit the formation of tensile induced cracks in the weld. This enables subsequent fusion welding overlying the initial weld without risk of hot cracking in the final weld.

US Patent:

6856664, Feb 15, 2005

Filed:

May 2, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/429121

Inventors:

Vernon Walter Pence - San Jose CA, US
Terry L. Chapman - Los Gatos CA, US
John Edward Maslakowski - Westlake Village CA, US
Henry Peter Offer - Los Gatos CA, US

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

G21C019/00

US Classification:

376260, 376261

Abstract:

A modular reactor servicing platform for a nuclear reactor is provided. The modular servicing platform includes a plurality of modular sections coupled together, a support structure coupled to the coupled together modular sections, a center access opening, and a refuel access channel extending from the center access opening to an outer edge of the platform forming a substantially C-shaped servicing platform. Each modular section includes a plurality of interconnecting beams, and at least one floor panel attached to and covering the beams.

US Patent:

6889889, May 10, 2005

Filed:

Jun 5, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/454598

Inventors:

Henry P. Offer - Los Gatos CA, US
Siamak Bourbour - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

B23K031/00
B23K031/02

US Classification:

228119, 228165, 228166, 298971, 2940201

Abstract:

A component which has a surface crevice or crack and contaminants on at least one face of the opening is welded. The weld is effected by first plastically deforming the surface of the component to close the surface opening to a predetermined depth less than the depth of the opening and contaminated faces defining the opening to form a sealed ligament. The sealed ligament leaves unclosed a portion of the crack below the sealed ligament. The closed surface is hermetically sealed by fusion-welding to a depth of penetration equal to or less than the predetermined depth of the sealed ligament to minimize or eliminate expulsion of contaminants in the sealed ligament.

US Patent:

6894251, May 17, 2005

Filed:

Sep 3, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/232417

Inventors:

Henry Peter Offer - Los Gatos CA, US

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

B23K009/00

US Classification:

219128, 219 72

Abstract:

For stress-crack-sensitive materials, a weld pool is formed on a substrate. The weld pool is simultaneously plastically strained and cooled while the temperature of the hot metal weld pool lies substantially within a predetermined range in which hot cracking typically occurs. The hot metal is plastically strained and cooled until the temperature of the weld material is below the predetermined temperature range associated with hot cracking or until residual stresses in the weld are sufficiently low to preclude cracking in the completed weld.

US Patent:

6993948, Feb 7, 2006

Filed:

Jun 13, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/460180

Inventors:

Henry Peter Offer - Los Gatos CA, US

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

B21D 41/00
C21D 10/00
B05B 7/06
B24B 1/04

US Classification:

72 53, 29 907, 72430, 72707

Abstract:

A mechanical transducer induces liquid cavitation, causing pressure waves in a liquid which are applied against a metal surface to afford localized elastic and plastic tensile microstrain. The pressure waves alter the surface tensile stresses in the treated metal by reducing the tensile stresses or forming surface compressive stresses. A boot is provided about the operating face of the transducer for confining a liquid through which compression waves are generated and applied to the metal surface, the boot sealing about the transducer and the surface undergoing treatment.

US Patent:

7076017, Jul 11, 2006

Filed:

Aug 15, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/641801

Inventors:

Henry Peter Offer - Los Gatos CA, US
Frank Ortega - San Jose CA, US
David Wesley Sandusky - Los Gatos CA, US

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

G21C 13/00

US Classification:

376294, 294029, 2940213, 2940216, 137 1508, 137 1511, 376260

Abstract:

A seal plate for repairing damaged areas in a pressure vessel cladding includes a first side and an opposing second side and a sealing portion located on the second side, with the sealing portion circumscribing the seal plate. The seal plate also includes a seal lip extending from a periphery of the sealing portion and a cavity located in the second side, with the cavity circumscribed by the sealing portion. The seal plate further includes at least one purge port extending from the first side to the cavity. Each purge port is in fluid communication with the cavity.