Disconnect shaft for integrated drive generator

An integrated drive generator comprising:

• a housing enclosing an input shaft, said input shaft having a gear interface with a disconnect shaft, said disconnect shaft having spline teeth at an inner bore engaging a carrier shaft, a spring biasing said disconnect shaft such that gear teeth on a first end of said disconnect shaft engage said input shaft, an actuator for selectively moving said disconnect shaft against said spring to move said gear teeth on said disconnect shaft out of engagement with said input shaft;
• said carrier shaft providing a drive input into a gear differential, said carrier shaft driving a set of planetary gears to, in turn, drive a ring gear portion, said ring gear portion selectively providing drive input into a main generator;
• and
• said disconnect shaft longitudinally extending between said first end and a second end, a cam ledge at an intermediate location between said first end and said second end, an annular cavity defined between an inner surface of said inner bore of said disconnect shaft and an outer surface of a radially inner portion of the disconnect shaft, said cavity receiving an end of said spring.

A method of replacing a disconnect shaft in an integrated drive generator comprising the steps of:

• removing an existing disconnect shaft from an integrated drive generator including a housing enclosing an input shaft, said input shaft having a gear interface with the existing disconnect shaft, said existing disconnect shaft having spline teeth at an inner peripheral bore slideably engaging a carrier shaft and a spring biasing said existing disconnect shaft such that gear teeth on a forward face of said existing disconnect shaft engage the input shaft, and an actuator for selectively moving said existing disconnect shaft against said spring to move said gear teeth on said existing disconnect shaft out of engagement with said input shaft, and said carrier shaft providing a drive input into a gear differential, said carrier shaft driving a set of planetary gears to, in turn, drive a ring gear portion, said ring gear portion selectively providing drive input into a main generator;
• and
• replacing said existing disconnect shaft with a replacement disconnect shaft, said replacement disconnect shaft longitudinally extending between a first end and a second end having a plurality of gear teeth extending longitudinally from a first face disposed at the first end, a cam ledge at an intermediate location between said first end and said second end, an annular cavity defined between an inner surface of an inner bore of said disconnect shaft and an outer surface of a radially inner portion of the disconnect shaft.