IP Library Granted Patent US 10,883,426
Granted Patent B2
US 10,883,426 · App. 16/730,466 · Granted Jan 5, 2021

Planetary gear system for turbomachine

Inventors: Ken F. Blaney (Middleton, NH); Todd M. LaPierre (Middleton, NH); Richard K. Hayford (Cape Neddick, ME)
Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
F02C7/36F02C3/107F02K3/06F16H1/46F16H57/025F16H57/028F05D2260/40311Y02T50/60
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,883,426
App. No.
16/730,466
Granted
Jan 5, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A planetary gear system for a turbomachine includes a forward planetary gear assembly including a plurality of forward planet gears meshed to a forward sun gear disposed on a power shaft and a forward ring gear meshed to the forward planet gears and an aft planetary gear assembly aft of the forward planetary assembly including a plurality of aft planet gears meshed to an aft sun gear disposed on the power shaft and an aft ring gear meshed to the aft planet gears. The system also includes a gear housing disposed between the forward planetary gear assembly and the aft planetary gear assembly. The gear housing includes a stationary carrier, wherein the forward and aft planet gears are rotatably mounted to the stationary carrier, and a mount extending radially from the stationary carrier that is connectable to a stationary portion of the turbomachine.

Claims (37)

1. A gear housing for planetary gears of a turbomachine, comprising:

a stationary carrier that is disposable between a forward planetary gear assembly and an aft planetary gear assembly such that forward planet gears of the forward planetary gear assembly and aft planet gears of the aft planetary gear assembly are each rotatably mountable to the stationary carrier; and

a mount extending radially from the stationary carrier that is connectable to a stationary portion of the turbomachine, wherein the mount is formed from a different material that the stationary carrier.

2. The gear housing of claim 1 , wherein the mount includes a vibration damper.

3. The gear housing of claim 1 , wherein the mount is shaped to act as a vibration damper.

4. The gear housing of claim 1 , wherein a gear ratio of the forward planetary gear assembly is different from a gear ratio of the aft planetary gear assembly.

5. The gear housing of claim 1 , wherein the forward planetary gear assembly is connected to a fan shaft and the aft planetary gear assembly is connected to a low pressure compressor shaft.

6. The gear housing of claim 1 , wherein the forward planetary gear assembly is connected to a low pressure compressor shaft and the aft planetary gear assembly is connected to a high pressure compressor shaft.

7. A planetary gear system for a turbomachine, comprising:

a forward planetary gear assembly including a plurality of forward planet gears meshed to a sun gear disposed on a power shaft and a forward ring gear meshed to the forward planet gears;

an aft planetary gear assembly aft of the forward planetary assembly including a plurality of aft planet gears meshed to the sun gear and an aft ring gear meshed to the aft planet gears; and

a gear housing disposed between the forward planetary gear assembly and the aft planetary gear assembly, wherein the gear housing includes:

a stationary carrier, wherein the plurality of forward planet gears and the plurality of aft planet gears are each rotatably mounted to the stationary carrier; and

a mount extending radially from the stationary carrier that is connectable to a stationary portion of the turbomachine, wherein the mount is formed from a different material that the stationary carrier.

8. The planetary gear system of claim 7 , wherein the mount includes a vibration damper.

9. The planetary gear system of claim 7 , wherein the mount is shaped to act as a vibration damper.

10. The planetary gear system of claim 7 , wherein a gear ratio of the forward planetary gear assembly is different from a gear ratio of the aft planetary gear assembly.

11. The planetary gear system of claim 7 , wherein the forward planetary gear assembly is connected to a fan shaft and the aft planetary gear assembly is connected to a low pressure compressor shaft.

12. The planetary gear system of claim 11 , wherein a gear ratio of the forward planetary gear assembly is different from a gear ratio of the aft planetary gear assembly.

13. The planetary gear system of claim 7 , wherein the forward planetary gear assembly is connected to a low pressure compressor shaft and the aft planetary gear assembly is connected to a high pressure compressor shaft.

14. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

a fan section;

a compressor section;

a combustor section;

a turbine section; and

a planetary gear system, comprising:

a forward planetary gear assembly including a plurality of forward planet gears meshed to a sun gear disposed on a power shaft and a forward ring gear meshed to the forward planet gears;

an aft planetary gear assembly aft of the forward planetary assembly including a plurality of aft planet gears meshed to the sun gear and an aft ring gear meshed to the aft planet gears; and

a gear housing disposed between the forward planetary gear assembly and the aft planetary gear assembly, wherein the gear housing includes:

a stationary carrier, wherein the plurality of forward planet gears and the plurality of aft planet gears are each rotatably mounted to the stationary carrier; and

a mount extending radially from the stationary carrier that is connectable to a stationary portion of the turbomachine, wherein the mount is formed from a different material that the stationary carrier.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the mount includes a vibration damper.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the mount is shaped to act as a vibration damper.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein a gear ratio of the forward planetary gear assembly is different from a gear ratio of the aft planetary gear assembly.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the forward planetary gear assembly is connected to a fan shaft of the fan section and the aft planetary gear assembly is connected to a low pressure compressor shaft of the compressor section.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the forward planetary gear assembly is connected to a low pressure compressor shaft of the compressor section and the aft planetary gear assembly is connected to a high pressure compressor shaft of the compressor section.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein a gear ratio between the forward planetary gear assembly and the aft planetary gear assembly are configured to tune a natural frequency between a fan of the fan section and a compressor of the compressor section.

Assignments (5)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 27, 2023
From: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RTX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064714/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE AND REMOVE PATENT APPLICATION NUMBER 11886281 AND ADD PATENT APPLICATION NUMBER 14846874. TO CORRECT THE RECEIVING PARTY ADDRESS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054062 FRAME: 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF ADDRESS. Recorded Mar 4, 2021
From: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055659/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 4, 2020
From: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 054062/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 12, 2020
From: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053480/0641 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 30, 2019
From: BLANEY, KEN F.; LAPIERRE, TODD M.; HAYFORD, RICHARD K.
To: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 051448/0098 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 15688251 · Aug 28, 2017
Continuation 14974994 · Dec 18, 2015
Provisional Application 62093796 · Dec 18, 2014
Related Publication 20200182159A1 · Jun 11, 2020