Shaft coupling arrangement
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorsMARK E. BARTOLOMEO, Gregory Blake, Randal L. Renback, Tony R. McKenny
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shaft coupling arrangement and a corresponding method for coupling shafts are disclosed herein. The shaft coupling arrangement includes an input shaft operable to rotate about a first axis. The shaft coupling arrangement also includes an output shaft operable to rotate about a second axis. The shaft coupling arrangement also includes a gearing arrangement operable to engage the input and output shafts together for rotation in the same angular direction at different angular speeds. In one embodiment of the invention, the gearing arrangement includes a plurality of nested bevel gears. In another embodiment of the invention, the gearing arrangement can include a single layshaft.
Claims20
A shaft coupling arrangement comprising:
- an input shaft operable to rotate about a first axis;
- an output shaft operable to rotate about a second axis;
- a gearing arrangement operable to engage said input and output shafts together for rotation in the same angular direction at different angular speeds, wherein said gearing arrangement includes a plurality of nested bevel gears.
A method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting torque from an input shaft to an output shaft to rotate the output shaft in a first angular direction similar at a first angular velocity;
- and
- engaging the input and output shafts together through a gearing arrangement having a plurality of bevel gears and a single layshaft.
A turbine engine comprising:
- a first shaft operable to rotate about a centerline axis;
- a first bevel gear engaged with said first shaft for rotation about said centerline axis;
- a second shaft operable to rotate about a second axis;
- a second bevel gear fixed to said second shaft for rotation about said second axis;
- a layshaft operable to rotate about a third axis;
- and
- third and fourth bevel gears fixed to said layshaft shaft and encircling said third axis, wherein said third bevel gear is larger than said fourth bevel gear and is meshed with said first bevel gear and said fourth bevel gear is meshed with said second bevel gear such that rotation of said low pressure shaft in a first angular direction at a first angular velocity results in rotation of said fan shaft in the first angular direction at a second angular velocity less than the first angular velocity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.