Counter rotating turbine with reversing reduction gear assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801442-B2
Application number	US-201715427340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2017
Priority date	Feb 8, 2017
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a gas turbine engine defining a longitudinal direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction, and an upstream end and a downstream end along the longitudinal direction. The gas turbine engine includes a turbine section and a gear assembly within or downstream of the turbine section. The turbine section includes a first rotating component and a second rotating component along the longitudinal direction. The first rotating component includes one or more connecting airfoils coupled to a radially extended rotor, and the second rotating component includes an inner shroud defining a plurality of inner shroud airfoils extended outward of the inner shroud along the radial direction. The second rotating component is coupled to a second shaft connected to an input accessory of the gear assembly, and the first rotating component is coupled to an output accessory of the gear assembly. The output accessory rotates the first rotating component about the axial centerline at a first speed and wherein the second rotating component rotates about the axial centerline at a second speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine, wherein the gas turbine engine defines a longitudinal direction, a radial direction, and a circumferential direction, and an upstream end and a downstream end along the longitudinal direction, the gas turbine engine comprising:
a first rotating component interdigitated with a second rotating component, wherein the first rotating component includes one or more connecting airfoils coupling together a rotatable outer shroud connected to a radially extended rotor, wherein the radially extended rotor comprises a rotatable housing, and wherein the second rotating component includes an inner shroud from which a plurality of inner shroud airfoils is extended outward of the inner shroud along the radial direction; and
a gear assembly, wherein the second rotating component is coupled to a second shaft connected to an input accessory of the gear assembly, wherein the input accessory receives power from the second rotating component, and wherein the first rotating component is coupled to an output accessory of the gear assembly via the rotatable housing, wherein the rotatable housing is extended through and connected to the gear assembly.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the housing is coupled to the output accessory of the gear assembly.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2 , wherein the housing comprises an axial portion and a radial portion, and wherein the radial portion is coupled to the output accessory of the gear assembly.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the radial portion comprises a first radial portion disposed upstream of the gear assembly and a second radial portion disposed downstream of the gear assembly, and wherein the axial portion couples the first radial portion and the second radial portion.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the radial portion of the housing is connected to a first shaft extended along the longitudinal direction.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein the first shaft extends along the longitudinal direction and through the gear assembly.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein the engine defines a torque path from the second rotating component to the second shaft to the gear assembly, and wherein the torque path is extended from the gear assembly to the first shaft via the radial portion of the housing coupled to the first rotating component.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the engine further defines the torque path from the first rotating component to the first shaft via the radial portion of the first rotating component.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , the engine further comprising:
a fan assembly comprising a fan rotor, wherein the first shaft is connected and rotatable with the fan rotor.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the fan assembly comprises a low pressure compressor, and wherein the second shaft is connected and rotatable with the low pressure compressor.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the first rotating component is configured to provide approximately 25% to about 75% of torque to the first shaft.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 9 , wherein the second rotating component is configured to provide approximately 30% to about 60% of torque to the first shaft.

13. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , comprising:
a static support structure, wherein the gear assembly is coupled to the static support structure.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the gear assembly comprises a compound gearbox.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the gear assembly comprises a reversing rotating compound gearbox.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the gear assembly comprises a gear ratio of about −1.5:1 to about −3:1.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the gear assembly comprises a range of gear ratios of about −1.8:1 to about −2.8:1.

18. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the second rotating component is configured to rotate at a speed greater than the first rotating component.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the first rotating component rotates in a first direction and the second rotating component rotates in a second direction opposite of the first direction.

20. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the first and second rotating components together form a low pressure turbine rotor, wherein the low pressure turbine rotor comprises 3 to 10 stages of rotating airfoils.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Clements Jeffrey Donald
• Zatorski Darek Tomasz
• Stuart Alan Roy

Classifications

• F01D1/24

  characterised by counter-rotating rotors subjected to same working fluid stream without intermediate stator blades or the like · CPC title

• F05D2220/323

  for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines · CPC title

• F05D2250/44

  by counter rotation · CPC title

• F05D2260/40

  Transmission of power · CPC title

• F01D5/03

  Annular blade-carrying members having blades on the inner periphery of the annulus and extending inwardly radially, i.e. inverted rotors · CPC title