System for lubricating and cooling a mechanical assembly

• US 6,817,448 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: Baixas, André, Maret, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, CHONG HWA
• Application Number:
  US10/170,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20020195296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 184/6.4, 184/6.11, 184/6.12, 184/6.26, 184/50.2, 184/55.1, 184/57, 60/390.8, 60/390.91
• US Class Current: 184/6.26
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/14 Direct drive between power plant and rotor hub
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0412 Cooling or heating; Control of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 17/00 Lubrication of machines or apparatus working under extreme conditions additives to lubricating oil or lubricating grease C10M
• CPC Class Codes: F16N 7/32 Mist lubrication splash lubrication F16N7/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2189 Cooling

Abstract

According to the invention, this system comprises a main device (2) and an auxiliary backup device (3), which comprises:

at least one reservoir (10) of lubricating and cooling liquid independent of the main device (2);

at least one source (11) of pressurized gas; and

at least one spray nozzle (17, 18) which is fed, on the one hand, with lubricating and cooling liquid at a pressure at most equal to 2 bar (2.10⁻⁵ pascal) from said reservoir (10) and, on the other hand, with pressurized gas from said source (11), said nozzle being able to spray a mist of lubricating and cooling liquid onto said mechanical assembly (1) so as temporarily to supplement the defective main device (2).

Claims

1. A system for lubricating and cooling a mechanical assembly, said system comprising:

a main lubricating and cooling device circulating a stream of lubricating and cooling liquid through said mechanical assembly at a relatively high pressure; and

an auxiliary backup device set in operation automatically or manually when said main device becomes defective, said backup device comprising;

at least one reservoir of lubricating and cooling liquid;

at least one source of pressurized gas;

at least one spray nozzle which is fed, on the one hand, with the lubricating and cooling liquid from said reservoir provided under pressure and, on the other hand, with the pressurized gas from said source, and which is able to spray a mist of the lubricating and cooling liquid onto said mechanical assembly so as temporarily to supplement the defective main device, wherein;

said reservoir of the auxiliary backup device is independent of said main device;

said spray nozzle is fed with the lubricating and cooling liquid from said reservoir at a pressure at most equal to 2 bar (2.10⁵ pascal); and

the lubricating and cooling liquid contained in said reservoir is pressured by a pump the outlet of which is connected to said reservoir by a bypass comprising a calibrated valve that opens as soon as an outlet pressure of said pump becomes higher than a feed pressure of the lubricating and cooling liquid recieved by the spray nozzle.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spray nozzle is fed with the lubricating and cooling liquid at a pressure roughly equal to 1 bar (10⁵ pascal).

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said independent reservoir of lubricating and cooling liquid is arranged some distance away from said mechanical assembly so that said lubricating and cooling liquid it contains does not experience the effect of the heat given off by said mechanical assembly.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, in which said mechanical assembly is driven by an engine provided with at least one compressor stage, wherein said source of pressurized gas feeding said spray nozzle is formed by said compressor stage.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a number of spray nozzles, wherein said nozzles are fed with the pressurized gas and with the lubricating and cooling liquid through a splitter.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said nozzles are split into groups and all the nozzles in one group are fed with the pressurized gas and with the lubricating and cooling liquid by a common feed device, all said common feed devices themselves being fed with pressurized the gas and with the lubricating and cooling liquid by said splitter.