Gearbox for boost spool turbine engine
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsPaul R. Hanrahan, Arthur M. Salve, JR., Daniel Bernard Kupratis
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Abstract
A turbine engine includes a core engine including a first spool and a second spool rotatable about a main engine longitudinal axis, a boost spool powered by a secondary drive system, and an accessory gearbox coupled to the core engine and the boost spool. A differential gear system is coupled between the core engine, the boost spool and the accessory gearbox for distributing power between the boost spool, the core engine and the accessory gearbox.
Claims19
A turbine engine comprising:
- a core engine including a first spool and a second spool rotatable about a main engine longitudinal axis;
- a boost spool powered by a secondary drive system;
- an accessory gearbox coupled to the core engine and the boost spool;
- and
- a differential gear system coupled between the core engine, the boost spool and the accessory gearbox for distributing power between the boost spool, the core engine and the accessory gearbox.
A differential gear system for a turbine engine comprising:
- a differential carrier rotatable about a longitudinal axis;
- a first differential gear and a second differential gear coupled to a common differential shaft, the differential shaft rotatable about a differential axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis;
- a first drive gear coupled to the first differential gear at a first gear ratio;
- a second drive gear coupled to the second differential gear at a second gear ratio that is different than the first gear ratio;
- a ring gear coupled to the differential carrier;
- and
- an input gear coupled to the ring gear for driving the differential carrier about the longitudinal axis.
A method of operating a turbine engine comprising:
- coupling a tower shaft of a core engine, a boost spool driven by a secondary drive system and an accessory gear box through a differential gear system;
- and
- inputting torque to both the accessory gearbox and the tower shaft of the core engine from the boost spool driven by the secondary drive system through the differential gear system in one engine operating configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.