Lubrication system
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorNeil J. DAVIES
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lubrication system for a gas turbine engine, the system comprising: a gearbox, the gearbox comprising a sump; an oil tank; a primary gearbox lubrication system configured to pump oil from the oil tank to lubricate the gearbox with a gearbox primary feed; a secondary gearbox lubrication system, configured to lubricate the gearbox with oil from the sump when the oil level in the sump reaches a predetermined level; wherein the system is configured to increase the oil level in the sump to at least the predetermined level in response to a failure of the primary gearbox lubrication system.
Claims20
A lubrication system for a gas turbine engine, the system comprising:
- a gearbox, the gearbox comprising a sump;
- an oil tank;
- a primary gearbox lubrication system configured to pump oil from the oil tank to lubricate the gearbox with a gearbox primary feed;
- and
- a secondary gearbox lubrication system, configured to lubricate the gearbox with oil from the sump when the oil level in the sump reaches a predetermined level;
- wherein the system is configured to increase the oil level in the sump to at least the predetermined level in response to a failure of the primary gearbox lubrication system.
A gas turbine engine for an aircraft comprising:
- an engine core comprising a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor;
- a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan comprising a plurality of fan blades;
- a lubrication system according to any preceding claim, wherein the gearbox receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan so as to drive the fan at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft.
A method of lubricating a planetary gearbox of a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- in response to failure of a primary gearbox oil feed, causing an oil level in a sump of the planetary gearbox to increase;
- and
- lubricating a journal bearing of the planetary gearbox with oil from the sump when the level has reached or exceeded a predetermined level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.