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US 7,490,460 B2Granted
Gas turbine engine assembly and methods of assembling same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gearbox includes a support structure, at least one sun gear coupled within the support structure, and a plurality of planetary gears coupled within the support structure. The support structure includes a first portion, an axially aft second portion, and a thrust spring coupled between the first and second portions.
Claims16
A method for assembling a gas turbine engine, said method comprising:
- providing a core gas turbine engine at least partially defined by a frame and having a drive shaft rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the core gas turbine engine;
- coupling a low-pressure turbine to the core gas turbine engine;
- coupling a counter-rotating fan assembly including a first fan assembly and a second fan assembly to the low-pressure turbine such that the first fan assembly rotates in a first direction and the second fan assembly rotates in an opposite second direction;
- coupling a gearbox between the shaft and the counter-rotating fan assembly so that the gear box extends substantially circumferentially about the drive shaft, the gearbox including a support structure including a first portion and a second portion;
- coupling a gearbox input to the low-pressure turbine;
- coupling a gearbox output to the counter-rotating fan assembly;
- and
- coupling a thrust spring between the gearbox input and the gearbox output to at least partially absorb the thrust generated by the counter-rotating fan assembly the thrust spring formed unitarily with the first and second portions, a plurality of openings formed through the thrust spring to facilitate adjusting the thrust absorbed by the thrust spring.
5 more elements
A gearbox comprising:
- a support structure;
- at least one sun gear coupled within said support structure;
- and
- a plurality of planetary gears coupled within said support structure, said support structure comprising
- a first portion,
- an axially aft second portion, and
- a thrust spring coupled between said first and second portions, said thrust spring comprising a plurality of openings extending therethrough, at least one of the quantity of openings and the size of the openings based on the thrust absorbed by the thrust spring.
4 more elements
A turbine engine assembly comprising:
- a core turbine engine;
- a low-pressure turbine coupled to said core turbine engine;
- a gearbox coupled to said low-pressure turbine;
- and
- a counter-rotating fan assembly coupled to said gearbox, said gearbox comprising
- a first portion;
- an axially aft second portion;
- and
- a thrust spring coupled between said first and second portions, said thrust spring comprises a plurality of openings extending therethrough, the quantity of openings based on the thrust absorbed by the thrust spring.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.