Geared drive system for a bladed propulsor

A geared drive system for a bladed propulsor, comprising:

• a planetary gear train including:
• a sun gear assembly comprising a sun gear driven by a source of input torque,
• a ring gear assembly comprising a ring gear stationary with respect to the sun gear assembly, a planet gear assembly including a plurality of planet gears supported in a planet carrier by journals and disposed mechanically intermediate of and in meshing engagement with the sun gear and the ring gear whereby the planet carrier is urged to rotate by a resultant driving force, the planet carrier having a forward end plate and a rear end plate abuttingly mated to each other, the abutting contact between the plates extending over a substantial portion of the circumference of the carrier, ,the forward end plate also having a plurality of apertures;
• a torque transfer structure for driving a load, the torque transfer structure being rotatable about a central axis and having a first end terminating in a series of discrete, independently flexible arms, each arm having a proximal end and a distal end, each arm projecting axially through a corresponding end plate aperture, at least a portion of the distal end of each arm being at a radius greater than that of the planet gear axes, the torque transfer structure also having a second end connected to a rotating component;
• and
• a plurality of joints circumferentially disposed with respect to the carrier, each of said joints being, with respect to a load path through the gear train, mechanically intermediate the torque transfer structure and the planet gear assembly and each joint being pivotable about at least a radial axis for joining the planet carrier to the distal ends of the arms, each joint exerting a resultant reaction force on the carrier and wherein the joints are axially positioned with respect to the carrier such that the resultant reaction force is axially coincident with the resultant driving force at the axial midpoint of the planet gears for transmitting the resultant driving force from the carrier to the arms without imposing torsional deflection on the carrier.

A geared drive system for a bladed propulsor, comprising:

• a planetary gear train including:
• a sun gear assembly comprising a sun gear driven by a source of input torque,
• a ring gear assembly comprising a ring gear stationary with respect to the sun gear assembly,
• a planet gear assembly comprising a plurality of planet gears supported in a planet carrier by journals and disposed mechanically intermediate of and in meshing engagement with the sun gear and the ring gear whereby the planet carrier is urged to rotate by a resultant driving force, the planet carrier having a forward end plate and a rear end plate abuttingly mated to each other, the abutting contact between the plates extending over a substantial portion of the circumference of the carrier, the forward end plate also having a plurality of apemares;
• a torque transfer structure for driving a load, the torque transfer structure being rotatable about a central axis and having a first end terminating in a series of discrete, independently flexible arms, each arm having a proximal end and
• a distal end, each arm projecting axially through a corresponding end plate aperture, at least a portion of the distal end of each arm being at a radius greater than that of the planet gear axes, the torque transfer structure also having a second end connected to a rotating component;
• and
• a plurality of joints circumferentially disposed with respect to the carrier, each of said joints being, with respect to a load path through the gear train, mechanically intermediate the torque transfer structure and the planet gear assembly and each joint being pivotable about at least a radial axis for joining the planet carrier to the distal ends of the arms, each joint exerting a resultant reaction force on the carrier and wherein the joints are axially positioned with respect to the carrier on a common plane perpendicular to the central axis and at the axial midpoint of the planet gears for transmitting the resultant driving force from the carrier to the arms without imposing torsional deflection on the carrier.