Speed-reducing gear unit to absorb the axial loads generated by a turbojet fan

• US 6,622,473 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Transmission Systems
• Original Assignee: Hispano-Suiza (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Ville, Daniel Victor Marcel, Becquerelle, Samuel Raymond Germain
• Primary Examiner(s): Gartenberg, Ehud
• Application Number:
  US10/001,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 602/261, 607/93, 74D/IG.5
• US Class Current: 60/226.1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/12 Combinations with mechanical gearing driven by multiple engines F01D13/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/36 Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 74/05 Gas turbine with gearing

Abstract

A turbojet engine having a fan (12) driven by a speed-reducing gear unit (23) whose input is driven by a turbine shaft (22). The speed-reducing gear unit (23) includes a planet gear (24) affixed to a turbine shaft (22), a ring gear (28) joined to a fan shaft (12) and a plurality of satellite gears (25) mounted on a stationary satellite support (27) and having helical teeth which operatively engage with helical teeth of the ring gear and the planet gear to balance axial loads along the turbine shaft and the fan shaft.

Claims

1. A turbojet engine having an engine casing, a fan and a speed reducing gear unit operatively connected to a turbine shaft and constructed to rotatably drive a fan shaft connected to said fan, said speed reducing gear unit comprising:

a planet gear fixed to said turbine shaft for rotation therewith;

a satellite gear support fixed to said engine casing;

a plurality of satellite gears having helical teeth and mounted to said satellite gear support in operative engagement with said planet gear; and

a ring gear having helical teeth and fixed to said fan shaft for rotation in operative engagement with said satellite gears;

wherein said helical teeth of said satellite gears and said ring gear cooperate to balance an axial load distribution along said fan shaft;

wherein each of said plurality of satellite gears has an upstream end and a downstream end located along an axis of rotation about said satellite gear support, said planet gear engaging with said satellite gears at said upstream end, and said ring gear engaging with said satellite gears at said downstream end, said planet gear and said ring gear being axially spaced from one another in relation to respective operative engagement with said satellite gears.

2. The turbojet engine according to claim 1 wherein said planet gear includes helical teeth that cooperate with said helical teeth of said satellite gears to balance an axial load distribution along said turbine shaft.

3. The turbojet engine according to claim 1 wherein said planet gear includes helical teeth that cooperate with said helical teeth of said satellite gears to balance an axial load distribution along said turbine shaft.