Shaft internal lubrication with rifling grooves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10969000-B2
Application number	US-201816203825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2018
Priority date	Aug 25, 2016
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

According to an aspect, a method of providing internal shaft lubrication includes drip feeding a lubricant to a feed tube within a central bore of a shaft body. The lubricant is urged along a lubrication flow path including at least one rifling groove on an inner wall of the shaft body formed by the central bore and a plurality of lubrication holes axially distributed along the shaft body that fluidically connects the inner wall with an outer wall of the shaft body. The lubricant is sprayed out of the lubrication holes responsive to rotation of the shaft body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing internal shaft lubrication, the method comprising:
drip feeding a lubricant to a feed tube within a central bore of a shaft body;
urging the lubricant along a lubrication flow path comprising at least one rifling groove on an inner wall of the shaft body formed by the central bore and a plurality of lubrication holes axially distributed along the shaft body that fluidically connects the inner wall with an outer wall of the shaft body; and
spraying the lubricant out of the lubrication holes responsive to rotation of the shaft body.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rifling groove comprises two or more riffling grooves, and each of the two or more riffling grooves contacts a different subset of the lubrication holes.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein spraying the lubricant out of the lubrication holes provides splash lubrication to a plurality of components coupled or proximate to the shaft body.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feed tube is configured to receive the lubricant from an excess lubricant supply collected in a passage formed substantially perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the shaft body.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising collecting the lubricant splashed upon exiting the shaft body by a scupper, wherein the scupper is in fluid communication with the passage to provide the lubricant collected.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the passage is a vertical column in a gearbox housing, and the lubrication flow path within the bore is a substantially horizontally oriented spiral configured to urge the lubricant toward a driven end of the shaft body.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant is urged along the lubrication flow path via centrifugal forces acting on the lubricant due to rotation of the shaft body.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Slayter Matthew Allen
• Himmelmann Richard A

Classifications

• F16H57/0426

  Means for guiding lubricant into an axial channel of a shaft · CPC title

• F16N7/363

  Centrifugal lubrication · CPC title

• F16H57/043 Primary

  within rotary parts, e.g. axial channels or radial openings in shafts · CPC title

• F02C7/275

  Mechanical drives · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title