Star gear system with lubrication circuit and lubrication method therefor

A rotary gear train, comprising:

• a rotatable sun gear;
• a nonrotatable star gear carrier;
• a plurality of circumferentially distributed star gears each rotatably mounted on the carrier by a bearing having an interface with its respective star gear and each engaged with the sun gear to define a sun/star mesh;
• a rotatable ring gear circumscribing the star gears and engaged with each star gear to define a star/ring mesh;
• a set of baffles, each baffle disposed between two star gears;
• a primary lubricant circuit for supplying primary lubricant successively to the bearing interface, the sun/star mesh and the star/ring mesh;
• and
• an auxiliary lubricant circuit for supplying auxiliary lubricant to the sun/star mesh and the star/ring mesh;
• wherein the primary and auxiliary lubricant circuits include a common lubricant discharge path that extends through the sun/star mesh, the common path being the exclusive means for evacuating both the primary lubricant and the auxiliary lubricant.

A method of lubricating a gear train having a sun gear, a plurality of star gears each rotatably mounted on a carrier by a bearing having an interface with its respective star gear and each engaged with the sun gear to define a sun/star mesh, and a ring gear circumscribing the star gears and engaged with each star gear to define a star/ring mesh, the method comprising:

• introducing lubricant into the bearing interface;
• discharging the introduced lubricant from the interface;
• directing substantially all of the discharged lubricant into the sun/star mesh;
• expelling substantially all of the directed lubricant from the sun/star mesh;
• guiding substantially all of the expelled lubricant into the star/ring mesh;
• ejecting substantially all of the guided lubricant from the star/ring mesh;
• and
• channeling the ejected lubricant away from the gear train.

A method of lubricating a gear train having a sun gear, a plurality of star gears each rotatably mounted on a carrier by a bearing having an interface with the star gear and each engaged with the sun gear to define a sun/star mesh, and a ring gear circumscribing the star gears and engaged with each star gear to define a star/ring mesh, the method comprising:

• introducing a primary lubricant into the bearing interface;
• discharging the introduced primary lubricant from the interface;
• concurrently directing substantially all of the discharged first lubricant and an auxiliary lubricant into the sun/star mesh;
• expelling substantially all of the directed primary and auxiliary lubricant from the sun/star mesh;
• guiding substantially all of the expelled primary and auxiliary lubricant into the star/ring mesh;
• ejecting substantially all of the guided primary and auxiliary lubricant from the star/ring mesh;
• and
• channeling the ejected primary and auxiliary lubricant away from the gear train.