Method of assembly for gear system with rotating carrier

A method of assembling a gear system for a gas turbine engine comprising the steps of:

• providing a unitary carrier defining a central axis, wherein the unitary carrier includes a pair of axially spaced apart side walls and circumferentially spaced mounts, at least one of the walls defines a central opening, the mounts are circumferentially spaced about the carrier at a distance that is less than a width of a sun gear and a plurality of intermediate gears to establish circumferentially spaced apart peripheral openings at an outer circumference of the carrier, and curved walls of adjacent pairs of the mounts establish gear pockets extending radially from the central opening to the respective peripheral openings at the outer circumference of the carrier relative to the central axis, and;
• positioning baffles between the side walls of the unitary carrier such that an end of each of the baffles abuts a respective one of mounts, wherein each of the baffles includes a curved surface that defines a respective one of the gear pockets;
• inserting the plurality of intermediate gears through the central opening, and then moving the intermediate gears radially outwardly relative to the central axis into the respective gear pockets and through the respective peripheral openings at the outer circumference of the carrier;
• inserting the sun gear through the central opening;
• moving the intermediate gears radially inwardly relative to the central axis to engage the sun gear;
• coupling a propulsor shaft to the carrier such that the propulsor shaft and the intermediate gears are rotatable about the central axis, including attaching a torque frame to the carrier such that the torque frame interconnects the carrier and the propulsor shaft;
• wherein the torque frame includes a plurality of axially extending fingers received within slots defined by an axially forward one of the walls of the carrier, at circumferentially intermediate locations of the intermediate gears relative to the central axis;
• placing first and second ring gear halves of a ring gear onto an outer periphery of the intermediate gears to engage the intermediate gears;
• moving pins into radially inwardly extending apertures in the outer circumference of the carrier to lock the fingers within the slots subsequent to placing the first ring gear half onto the outer periphery of the intermediate gears;
• fixedly attaching the ring gear to an engine static structure subsequent to the placing step;
• and
• securing the propulsor shaft to a propulsor hub that supports a plurality of blades.