Mounting for coupling a turbofan gas turbine engine to an aircraft structure

A mounting for coupling a turbofan gas turbine to an aircraft structure for reacting side, axial, vertical, yaw, and thrust loads and pitch and roll couples, the turbofan gas turbine including an axis, a core engine and a fan, the core engine having a compressor, a combustor, a turbine and a core casing, the fan operating within a fan duct defined in part by a fan casing, the mounting comprising:

• a rigid frame defined by a hub member, a plurality of angularly spaced spokes secured at their radially inner ends to and extending radially outwardly from the hub member and an annular member secured to the radially outer ends of the spokes, the annular member secured to the fan casing and the hub member secured to the core casing,
• a first set of three attachment points on the aircraft structure,
• a second set of attachment points at an axial position on the aircraft structure different from the axial position of the first set of attachment points, the second set of attachment points having at least one attachment point,
• a first one of the attachment points in the first set of attachment points and the at least one attachment point in the second set of attachment points being arranged substantially in a plane containing the axis of the turbofan gas turbine engine and the first one of the attachment points of the first set of attachment points being positioned axially upstream of the at least one attachment point of the second set of attachment points,
• first connecting means connecting the radially outer ends of two adjacent spokes of the rigid frame with the first set of attachment points on the aircraft structure, the first connecting means comprising a first link connecting the first one of the attachment points of the first set of attachment points and the radially outer end of one of the two adjacent spokes, a second link connecting the first one of the attachment points of the first set of attachment points and the radially outer end of the other of the two adjacent spokes, a third link connecting a second one of the attachment points of the first set of attachment points and the radially outer end of the one spoke, a fourth link connecting a third one of the attachment points of the first set of attachment points and the radially outer end of the other of the two adjacent spokes, and a fifth link connecting the second one of the attachment points of the first set of attachment points and the radially outer end of the other of the two adjacent spokes, the first connecting means together with the rigid frame and the aircraft structure defining structure to react to the side, axial, vertical, and yaw loads and roll couplings, and
• second connecting means connecting the hub member of the rigid frame with the second set of attachment points, the second connecting means comprising linkage means connected between the at least one attachment point of the second set of attachment points and a point on the hub member between the two adjacent spokes and in the plane containing the engine axis, the first one of the attachment points of the first set of attachment points, and the at least one attachment point of the second set of attachment points, the second connecting means together with the rigid frame and the aircraft structure defining structure to react thrust loads and pitch couples.