Gas turbine engine with a geared turbofan arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10626925-B2
Application number	US-201715707471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2017
Priority date	Sep 20, 2016
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

A gas turbine engine with a geared turbofan arrangement with a gearbox in a drive shaft assembly driven by a turbine is provided. A driving side of the gearbox being driveably connected with at least one propulsive fan, with at least one mechanical fuse in the drive shaft assembly enabling a controlled disengagement of at least one engine part from the drive shaft assembly in case of a mechanical failure of the gas turbine engine or a part thereof and at least one load stop for bearing a load, in particular an axial or radial load in case of the mechanical failure of the gas turbine or a part thereof. A first mechanical fuse is positioned in a torque carrying shaft or a torque carrying part of a shaft, in particular in a torque bearing coupling between the shaft and the gearbox.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine with a geared turbofan arrangement with a gearbox in a drive shaft assembly driven by a turbine,
the drive shaft assembly comprising a shaft connecting a propulsive fan to a driving side of the gearbox, the shaft comprising:
a torque bearing portion including a fan shaft and a torque bearing coupling,
a thrust shaft, the thrust shaft being connected to the fan shaft,
wherein the torque bearing coupling connects the fan shaft with the driving side of the gearbox at a junction of the fan shaft and the thrust shaft,

at least one mechanical fuse in the drive shaft assembly enabling a controlled disengagement of at least one engine part from the drive shaft assembly in case of a mechanical failure of the gas turbine engine or a part thereof,
at least one load stop for bearing a load and for retaining the at least one propulsive fan in the gas turbine engine in the case of the mechanical failure of the gas turbine or the part thereof, the at least one load stop operatively positioned between the driving side of the gearbox and the propulsive fan,
wherein the at least one mechanical fuse includes a first mechanical fuse positioned in at least one chosen from the fan shaft and the torque bearing coupling.

2. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one mechanical fuse comprises at least one chosen from a defined thinning, a structuring of a load bearing material, and a structure with a defined deformable zone.

3. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first mechanical fuse comprises a spline joint.

4. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the thrust shaft forms at least part of a non-torque bearing portion of the shaft, and the at least one mechanical fuse includes a second mechanical fuse positioned in the thrust shaft.

5. The gas turbine engine according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one mechanical fuse includes a third mechanical fuse positioned in a front bearing cone.

6. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one load stop is positioned to engage a moving part of the gas turbine engine after the mechanical failure.

7. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one load stop is configured for directing loads away from the gearbox.

8. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , and further comprising a guiding surface at least one chosen from 1) attached to the thrust shaft and engaging other structure of the engine and 2) engaging the thrust shaft, to allow rotation of the thrust shaft under thrust shaft deflection.

9. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , and further comprising a reference shaft for detection of a break in the shaft.

10. The gas turbine engine according to claim 5 , wherein the third mechanical fuse is positioned in a front bearing cone axially behind a first bearing.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co Kg

Inventors

• Boniface Dominic

Classifications

• F02C7/36

  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 title

• F01D15/12

  Combinations with mechanical gearing (driven by multiple engines F01D13/00) · CPC title

• F02K3/06

  with front fan · CPC title

• F05D2260/40311

  of the epicyclical, planetary or differential type · CPC title

• F01D21/14

  responsive to other specific conditions · CPC title