Unidirectional fan brake for a gas turbine engine

A method of operating a turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis, the method comprising:

• combusting compressed air and fuel in a combustor to generate combustion gases;
• rotating a low-pressure turbine and a low-pressure shaft of the low-pressure turbine with the combustion gases;
• rotating a fan comprising a fan shaft and a plurality of fan blades in a first direction about the longitudinal centerline axis when the low-pressure shaft is rotated, the low-pressure shaft being coupled to the fan shaft via a gearbox assembly;
• and
• engaging a unidirectional brake that is coupled to the gearbox assembly such that the unidirectional brake directly engages the gearbox assembly to prevent rotation of the fan shaft via the gearbox assembly, thus, preventing rotation of the fan in a second direction, opposite the first direction, when the low-pressure shaft is not rotating the fan in the first direction.

A turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis, the turbine engine comprising:

• a fan comprising a fan shaft and a plurality of fan blades coupled to the fan shaft that rotate in a first direction about the longitudinal centerline axis;
• a turbo-engine comprising a combustor that combusts compressed air and fuel to generate combustion gases and a low-pressure turbine including a low-pressure shaft, the low-pressure turbine receiving the combustion gases to rotate the low-pressure turbine, the fan shaft being coupled to the low-pressure shaft such that rotation of the low-pressure shaft causes the fan to rotate in the first direction;
• and
• a unidirectional brake coupled to the fan shaft or the low-pressure shaft and including a plurality of clutch elements that is located between a first axial surface of a first member and a second axial surface of a second member, the unidirectional brake being configured to move from a disengaged position, in which rotation of the fan in the first direction is permitted, to an engaged configuration, in which the plurality of clutch elements tilt in an axial direction and engages the first axial surface and the second axial surface to prevent rotation of the fan in a second direction, opposite the first direction, via the fan shaft or the low-pressure shaft.