Method and disconnector for disconnecting a drive shaft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10316898-B2
Application number	US-201615008817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2016
Priority date	Jan 28, 2016
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A method and disconnector for disconnecting a drive shaft of a drive mechanism from rotating equipment, upon a failure of the drive mechanism or rotating equipment, includes a housing, an arm extending from the housing and movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position, and a parting tool on a distal end of the arm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A disconnector for disconnecting a drive shaft of a drive mechanism from rotating equipment, upon a failure of the drive mechanism or rotating equipment, comprising:
a housing,
an arm extending from the housing and movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position,
a parting tool on a distal end of the arm;
a biasing element mounted to the housing adjacent a proximal end of the arm configured to bias the arm toward the second position; and
a meltable element disposed in the housing in a position to restrain the arm in the first position against the bias of the biasing element;
wherein when the housing is mounted to at least one of a drive mechanism or rotating equipment, radially spaced from a drive shaft such that the parting tool will contact the drive shaft when the arm is in the second position, a failure in the at least one of the drive mechanism or rotating equipment will cause the meltable element to melt and release the arm for movement to the second position where the parting tool contacts the drive shaft causing a predetermined failure of the drive shaft at the point of contact.

2. The disconnector of claim 1 wherein the meltable element is configured to melt at a threshold temperature.

3. The disconnector of claim 2 wherein the threshold temperature is achieved by heat transfer through the at least one of the drive mechanism or rotating equipment.

4. The disconnector of claim 2 further comprising a heating element thermally coupled with the meltable element, and a failure sensor connected to the heating element, wherein when the failure sensors detects a failure, the heating element is energized to at least the threshold temperature.

5. The disconnector of claim 1 wherein the parting tool includes a cutting tool.

6. The disconnector of claim 1 wherein the arm is an elongated shaft with a longitudinal axis and movement between the first and second positions is along the longitudinal axis.

7. The disconnector of claim 1 wherein the biasing element is a spring.

8. A system of a drive mechanism coupled to a device by a rotating shaft comprising:
a housing mounted to one of the drive mechanism or the device radially from the rotating shaft;
an arm extending from the housing and movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position;
a parting tool on a distal end of the arm;
a biasing element mounted to the housing adjacent a proximal end of the arm configured to bias the arm toward the second position; and
a meltable element disposed in the housing in a position to restrain the arm in the first position against the bias of the biasing element;
wherein a failure in one of the drive mechanism or the device will cause the melting element to melt and release the arm for movement to the second position where the parting tool of the meltable element will contact the rotating shaft and cause a predetermined failure of the rotating shaft at the point of contact to decouple the drive mechanism from the device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the meltable element is configured to melt at a threshold temperature.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the threshold temperature is achieved by heat transfer to the housing.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising a heating element thermally coupled with the meltable element, and a failure sensor connected to the heating element, wherein when the failure sensor detects a failure and the heating element is energized to at least the threshold temperature.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the parting tool includes a cutting tool.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the arm is an elongated shaft with a longitudinal axis and movement between the first and second positions is along the longitudinal axis.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the biasing element is a spring.

15. A method of protecting a system from a catastrophic failure where the system includes a drive mechanism coupled to a device by a rotating shaft, the method comprising:
disposing a housing on one of the drive mechanism or the device radially from the rotating shaft, with an arm extending from the housing and movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position, a parting tool on a distal end of the arm, a biasing element mounted to the housing adjacent a proximal end of the arm configured to bias the arm toward the second position; and a meltable element disposed in the housing in a position to restrain the arm in the first position against the bias of the biasing element; and if a failure is detected in one of the drive mechanism or the device; and
causing the meltable element to melt and release the arm for movement to the second position where the parting tool of the meltable element will contact the rotating shaft and cause a predetermined failure of the rotating shaft at the point of contact to decouple the drive mechanism from the device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein causing the meltable element to melt includes transferring heat from the failure to the meltable element.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein causing the meltable element to melt includes sensing a failure and energizing a heating element in the housing.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising sensing a condition of one of the drive mechanism or the device by a sensor, sending a signal representative of the condition from the sensor to a controller, determining in the controller that a failure is occurring, and sending from the controller a signal to energize the heating element.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the predetermined failure of the rotating shaft includes cutting the rotating shaft with the parting tool.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the arm is an elongated shaft with a longitudinal axis and movement between the first and second positions is along the longitudinal axis.

Assignees

• Ge Aviation Systems Llc

Inventors

• Wirsch Jr Paul James
• Veracco Richard John
• Mohammed Fayad

Classifications

• H02K7/003

  Couplings; Details of shafts (means for mounting rotors on shafts H02K1/28) · CPC title

• F02C7/32

  Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries · CPC title

• F05D2260/38

  by a spring, i.e. spring loaded or biased towards a certain position · CPC title

• F05D2260/311

  of the frangible or shear type · CPC title

• F05D2240/60

  Shafts · CPC title