Torque split gearbox for rotary wing aircraft
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorTodd A. Garcia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gearbox system for a dual coaxial counter rotating rotor assembly includes an input shaft to input a first torque into the gearbox system and a transfer shaft operably connected to the input shaft to transfer the first torque therethrough. Two gear sets are operably connected to the transfer shaft. Each gear set includes a first output gear to transfer a second torque acting in a first direction to a first rotor of a rotor assembly and a second output gear to transfer the second torque acting in a second direction opposite the first direction to a second rotor of the rotor assembly. The second torque transferred by each gear set of the two gear sets is substantially equal.
Claims10
A rotary wing aircraft, comprising:
- an airframe;
- a rotor assembly including a first rotor rotatable about a rotor axis in a first direction and a second rotor coaxial with the first rotor and rotatable about the rotor axis in a second direction opposite the first direction;
- and
- a drive system including plural engines outputting torque and a gearbox assembly to reduce torque produced from one or more of the engines to a reduced torque and to transfer the reduced torque to the rotor assembly, the gearbox assembly comprising:
- an input shaft to input the torque into the gearbox assembly;
- an input bevel shaft operably connected to the input shaft to transfer the torque therethrough;
- and
- two gear sets operably connected to the input bevel shaft, each gear set including first and second intermediate shafts,
- the first intermediate shaft having a first intermediate idler meshed with a transfer gear of the input bevel shaft and a first output pinion to transfer the reduced torque to the first rotor, and
- the second intermediate shaft having a first intermediate gear meshed with the first intermediate idler and a second output pinion to transfer the reduced torque to the second rotor.
A rotary wing aircraft, comprising:
- first and second coaxial, counter-rotating rotors;
- one or more engines disposed to produce torque to drive respective rotations of the first and second coaxial, counter-rotating rotors;
- and
- a gearbox assembly configured to reduce the torque produced by the one or more engines and to transfer the reduced torque to the first and second coaxial, counter-rotating rotors,
- the gearbox assembly comprising:
- an input shaft;
- an input bevel shaft operably connected to the input shaft to transfer torque input by the input shaft therethrough;
- and
- two gear sets operably connected to the input bevel shaft, each gear set including first and second intermediate shafts,
- the first intermediate shaft having a first intermediate idler meshed with a transfer gear of the input bevel shaft and a first output pinion to transfer the reduced torque, which is reduced from the torque input by the input shaft, to the first rotor, and
- the second intermediate shaft having a first intermediate gear meshed with the first intermediate idler and a second output pinion to transfer the reduced torque to the second rotor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.