# US 5,344,101 A · Safeguard system of a speed increasing/reducing mechanical assembly, especially of the helicopter "gear box" type, in case of lubricating oil loss > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,344,101 A - Document ID: US5344101A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/966,750 - Filed: 1992-10-27 - Granted: 1994-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 1991-10-30 - Assignees: Aerospatiale Societe Nationale Industrielle - Inventors: Roland C. Francois - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5344101A ## CPC - F16H 57/0493: {Gearings with spur or bevel gears (axle or inter-axle differentials with spur or bevel gears F16H57/0483)} - B64C 27/006: {Safety devices} - B64C 27/12: Rotor drives - F16N 29/02: for influencing the supply of lubricant - Y10T 74/19991: Lubrication - Y10T 74/2189: Cooling - F16H: GEARING - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - F16N: LUBRICATING - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract The invention relates to a safeguard system for speed increasing/reducing mechanical assembly, especially of the helicopter "gear box" type, in case of lubricating oil loss, which comprises an additional cooling system the casing of the said mechanical assembly, with an inlet (1) and an outlet (2) arranged on the casing (3) of this mechanical assembly. The inlet (1) and the outlet (2) closed during normal operation and they open under the effect of a control device at a preset value of a parameter significant for lubricating oil loss, whereby this control device actuates simultaneously the additional cooling system, in order to provide a circulation of the coolant between the inlet (1) and the outlet (2) so that this coolant, loaded with the calories further to the warm-up caused by the lubricating oil loss, may evacuate the said calories outside via the outlet (2) of the additional cooling system, which is of the air circulation type. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Safeguard system of a speed increasing/reducing mechanical assembly in case of lubricating oil loss, characterized by the fact it contains an additional cooling system of the casing of said mechanical assembly, with an inlet and an outlet arranged on the casing of this mechanical assembly, which are closed during normal operation and that open under the action of a control device at a preset value of a parameter significant for the lubricating oil loss, this control device actuating simultaneously the additional cooling system in order to provide a circulation of the coolant between the inlet and the outlet, so that this coolant, loaded with the calories further to the warm-up caused by the lubricating oil loss, may evacuate the calories via the outlet of the additional cooling system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Safeguard system according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the additional cooling system of the casing comprises an air circulation system wherein air is said coolant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) Safeguard system according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that said mechanical assembly is a gear box containing a conical torque motion input device having a ring and an epicycloidal train motion output device, and the inlet of air intake is located in the area of the ring of the motion input conical torque device and the outlet for air exhaust is located in the area of the motion output epicycloidal train. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) Safeguard system according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that said mechanical assembly is a gear box containing a conical torque device having a ring, and the inlet for air intake is located in the area of the ring of the motion input conical torque device and the outlet is located at the other end, axially. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Safeguard system according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the additional cooling system further contains a supplementary emergency lubricating system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) Safeguard system according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the supplementary emergency lubricating system uses a liquid lubricant. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Safeguard system according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the control device is one of a manual or automatic control device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) Safeguard system according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the control device is an automatic control device based on the measurement of the parameter significant for oil loss. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) Safeguard system according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the control device is an automatic control device based on the measurement of the parameter significant for temperature. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) Safeguard system according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that said inlet of the air circulation system comprises a fresh air inlet duct fitted with an inlet valve closed in normal operation wherein the control device acts on said inlet valve at the threshold of the preset value of the parameter significant for lubricating oil loss, in order to open it and to maintain it opened throughout the operation of the additional cooling system, and said outlet comprises an outlet duct fitted with an outlet valve closed in normal operation, said outlet valve opening under the effect of internal pressure in the casing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) Safeguard system according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the fresh air inlet duct is connected directly to the outside. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) Safeguard system according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the inlet duct is connected to a dynamic air tapping on the helicopter fuselage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) Safeguard system according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the inlet duct further comprises a fan located immediately upstream the valve. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) Safeguard system according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the inlet duct further comprises a fan mounted immediately upstream of the inlet valve and a branch piping upstream of said fan in order to produce permanent water drainage for the inlet duct. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) Safeguard system according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the air inlet duct is connected to a compressor of an aircraft propeller unit turbine. ### Claim 16 (depends on 5) Safeguard system according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the supplementary back-up lubricating system comprises a lubricant reserve outside the mechanical assembly and connected thereto by a feeding pipe leading immediately downstream of the inlet valve of the fresh air inlet duct, and the end of said feeding pipe is arranged as a Venturi, located approximately in the axial center of the inlet duct. ### Claim 17 Safeguard system of a speed increasing/reducing mechanical assembly in case of lubricating oil loss comprising an additional cooling system connected to a casing of the mechanical assembly including normally closed inlet means for inletting additional coolant to the casing, normally closed outlet means for providing circulation of the coolant from said inlet means through the casing and for evacuating the coolant carrying excess heat caused by lubricating oil loss out of the casing, and control means for opening said inlet means and said outlet means at a preset value of a parameter significant for the lubricating oil loss. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) Safeguard system according to claim 1 wherein said outlet is positioned vertically higher than said inlet.