# US 11,306,663 B2 · Gas turbine engine

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- Number: US 11,306,663 B2
- Document ID: US11306663B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/716,068
- Filed: 2019-12-16
- Published: 2020-06-18
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-18
- Assignees: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
- Applicants: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG
- Inventors: Björn Petersen; Philip Brian Walker
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306663B2

## CPC

- F02C 7/36: Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user ({F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and} F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H)
- F02C 7/06: Arrangements of bearings (bearings F16C); Lubricating ({of turbo machines F01D25/18; of machines or} engines in general F01M)
- F02K 3/06: with front fan
- F16H 57/0025: {with gearing elements rigidly connected to a shaft, e.g. securing gears or pulleys by specially adapted splines, keys or methods}
- F16H 57/035: Gearboxes for gearing with endless flexible members
- F05D 2220/323: for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines
- F05D 2240/50: Bearings
- F05D 2240/60: Shafts
- F05D 2260/4031: as in toothed gearing
- F16C 19/26: with a single row of rollers
- F16C 2360/23: Gas turbine engines
- F16H 7/00: Gearings for conveying rotary motion by endless flexible members (specific for conveying rotary motion with variable gear ratio or for reversing rotary motion F16H9/00)
- F16H 9/00: Gearings for conveying rotary motion with variable gear ratio, or for reversing rotary motion, by endless flexible members (control of change-speed or reversing-gearings conveying rotary motion F16H59/00 - F16H63/00)
- F16H 2003/0826: {wherein at least one gear on the input shaft, or on a countershaft is used for two different forward gear ratios}
- F16H 2057/0213: {Support of worm gear shafts}
- Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
- F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00)
- F02K: JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (features of jet-propulsion plants common to gas-turbine plants, air intakes or fuel supply control of air-breathing jet-propulsion plants F02C7/00, F02C9/00)
- F16H: GEARING
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft, including the following: a core engine including a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan, which is positioned upstream of the core engine, wherein the fan includes a plurality of fan blades; and a gear box which can be driven by the core shaft, wherein the fan can be driven at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft by means of the gear box, wherein the core shaft is designed as a drive shaft for the gear box and has at least one axial first region which has a diameter greater than the diameter of at least one axial second region, wherein the at least one first region is arranged axially between the drive side of the gear box and a mounting and/or attachment on a static part of the gas turbine engine.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A gas turbine engine for an aircraft, comprising:
a core engine comprising a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor;
a fan, which is positioned upstream of the core engine, wherein the fan includes a plurality of fan blades;
a gear box between the core engine and the fan, wherein the gear box is driven by the core shaft, and wherein the fan is driven at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft via the gear box;
a static part of the gas turbine engine including a rotational mounting of the core shaft, wherein the core shaft includes a length between a drive side of the gear box and an axial position of the rotational mounting of the core shaft;
wherein the core shaft includes an axial first region and an axial second region, wherein the axial first region is arranged between the drive side of the gear box and the axial position of the rotational mounting of the core shaft, and wherein the axial first region includes an axial first region length which is greater than 50% of the length between the drive side of the gear box and the axial position of the rotational mounting of the core shaft; and
wherein, spanning the axial first region length, the axial first region of the core shaft includes a diameter greater than a diameter of the axial second region, resulting in an axial majority of the core shaft which is widened toward the drive side of the gear box.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the core shaft includes exactly one axial first region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the core shaft includes a plurality of regions with different diameters.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the axial first region is one chosen from constant and varying within the axial first region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the rotational mounting of the core shaft on the static part is arranged axially in a region of the compressor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the rotational mounting of the core shaft on the static part is arranged in a region of a hub.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the rotational mounting of the core shaft on the static part includes at least one rolling bearing.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 6, wherein the static part is a part of at least one chosen from a casing for the gear box and the core engine.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of the core shaft at a connection of the core shaft to the gear box is smaller than a diameter of the axial second region.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, including at least one transition region between the axial first region and the axial second region and wherein the at least one transition region is a radially perpendicular shaft part.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, including at least one transition region between the axial first region and the axial second region and wherein the at least one transition region is a shaft part which is inclined relative to a main axis of rotation by 1 to 15°.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein a wall thickness of the core shaft in the axial first region is thinner than a wall thickness in the axial second region of the core shaft.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 12, wherein the wall thickness of the axial first region is thinner at least by a factor of 1.5 than the wall thickness in the axial second region.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 12, wherein a ratio of the wall thickness of the axial first region to an axial length of the axial first region is between 0.02 and 0.08.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The gas turbine engine according to claim 12, wherein a ratio of the wall thickness of the axial second region to an axial length of the axial second region is between 0.05 and 0.1.