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US 10,094,335 B2Granted
Compliant shaft with a recursive configuration for turbine engines
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsBugra Han Ertas, Kenneth Lee Fisher, Donald Albert Bradley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of a compliant shaft for engines are provided herein. In some embodiments, a compliant shaft for a turbine engine may include: a body having a first end configured to be coupled to a shaft of a turbine and a second end coupled to a gear of a gear box, wherein at least a portion of the body is flexible.
Claims14
A compliant shaft for a turbine engine, comprising:
- a body having a first end configured to be coupled to a shaft of a turbine and a second end coupled to a sun gear of a gear box, wherein at least a portion of the body prevents or corrects misalignments within the gear box caused by loads imposed on the turbine engine, wherein the body comprises:
- a first portion extending from the first end;
- a first curved portion extending from the first portion;
- a second portion extending from the first curved portion;
- and
- a second curved portion extending from the second portion to the second end, wherein the first portion, first curved portion, second portion and second curved portion form a recursive pattern disposed radially inward from the sun gear.
3 more elements
A turbine engine, comprising:
- a fan having a fan shaft;
- a shaft rotatably coupling a turbine to a compressor;
- a gear box rotatably coupling the shaft to the fan shaft;
- a compliant shaft coupling the shaft to the gear box, comprising:
- a body having a first end configured to be coupled to the shaft of the turbine and a second end coupled to a sun gear of the gear box, wherein at least a portion of the body prevents or corrects misalignments within the gear box caused by loads imposed on the turbine engine;
- wherein the body comprises:
- a first portion extending from the first end;
- a first curved portion extending from the first portion;
- a second portion extending from the first curved portion;
- and
- a second curved portion extending from the second portion to the second end, wherein the first portion, first curved portion, second portion and second curved portion form a recursive pattern disposed radially inward from the sun gear.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.