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US 7,144,349 B2Granted
Gas turbine gearbox
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorLazar Mitrovic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gearbox for rotating a propeller in a selected one of a first and second direction is provided. The gearbox includes a many common components, selected irrespective of desired propeller direction, and a few unique components selected based on desired propeller direction.
Claims14
A gearbox for rotating a propeller of a gas turbine engine in a selected one of a first and second direction, the gearbox comprising:
- a casing defining an enclosure;
- an output shaft rotating the propeller in the selected one of the first and second directions, the output shaft being partially enclosed in the casing;
- a mating gear driving the output shaft through a gear train, the mating gear having a first position within the casing;
- an input shaft receiving power from a turbine and rotating in the first direction, the input shalt being partially enclosed in the casing;
- an input pinion coupled to the input shaft, the input pinion having a second position within the casing;
- a plurality of accessory drive gears each adapted to drive one accessory, the plurality of accessory drive gears each having a third position within the casing;
- a multiple member gear rotating in the first direction, each member of the multiple member gear being meshed with at least one of the plurality of accessory drive gears, and the multiple member gear having a fourth position within the casing;
- wherein an interaction exists between the input pinion, mating gear and multiple member gear, selected from the group consisting of a first and second configuration with the first, second, third and fourth positions being the same in the first and second configuration, the first configuration consisting of the input pinion being meshed with the mating gear such that the mating gear rotates in the second direction, and the multiple member gear being meshed with a first idler gear which is meshed with an accessory pinion coupled to the input pinion, the first idler gear and the accessory pinion being located within the casing, and the second configuration consisting of the input pinion being meshed with a second idler gear which is meshed with the mating gear such that the mating gear rotates in the first direction, the second idler gear being located within the casing, and the multiple member gear being coupled to the mating gear;
- and
- wherein the selection between the first and second configurations determines the selected one of the first and second directions.
7 more elements
A kit for providing a single output shaft turboprop gearbox, the output shaft being rotatable in selected single one of two opposite directions, the kit comprising:
- the output shaft;
- an input shaft;
- a second-stage gear set co-operative with the output shaft;
- a first first-stage gear set having a first configuration and co-operative with the input shaft and with the second-stage gear set, the first configuration being operable to permit rotation of the output shaft in a first one of the opposite directions through the second-stage gear set;
- and
- a second first-stage gear set having a second configuration and co-operative with the input shaft and with the second-stage gear set, the second configuration being operable to permit rotation of the output shaft in a second one of the opposite directions through the second-stage gear set;
- wherein only one of the first and second first-stage gear sets is selected and installed in a gearbox casing in engagement with the input shaft and the second-stage gear set depending on the selected single one of the opposite directions.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.