Turbomachine accessory gearbox alignment pin

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605562-B2
Application number	US-201514617178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2015
Priority date	Feb 9, 2015
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

An exemplary gearbox assembly includes a shear bracket connectable to a flange of a housing structure, and a support pin extending along a longitudinal axis, the support pin supporting the shear bracket relative to a turbomachine, the shear bracket moveable axially relative to the support pin.

First claim

We claim:

1. A gearbox assembly, comprising:
a shear bracket connectable to a flange of a housing structure; and
a support pin extending along a longitudinal axis, the support pin supporting the shear bracket relative to a turbomachine, the support pin moveable axially relative to the shear bracket and the flange of the housing structure, wherein the flange is a flange of a starter.

2. The gearbox assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a hanger attachable to the turbomachine to support the support pin.

3. The gearbox assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flange is a first flange, and further comprising at least one second flange extending from a shaft housing portion of the housing structure, the support pin supporting the at least one second flange.

4. The gearbox assembly of claim 3 , wherein the support pin is received within an aperture of the first flange and an aperture of the at least one second flange.

5. The gearbox assembly of claim 4 , wherein the shear bracket is bolted directly to the flange.

6. The gearbox assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a spherical bearing that receives the support pin, the spherical bearing held within an aperture of the shear bracket.

7. The gearbox assembly of claim 6 , further comprising a bushing held by the spherical bearing, the bushing interfacing directly with the support pin and rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the support pin.

8. The gearbox assembly of claim 1 , including a gear train housed within the housing structure and wherein the starter is a hydraulic starter and is secured to the housing structure.

9. The gearbox assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shear bracket is directly connected to the flange, the support pin is spaced radially from the flange such that the support pin is outside an outermost perimeter of the flange when the shear bracket is directly connected to the flange.

10. A turbomachine assembly, comprising:
a turbomachine engine;
a housing structure;
a gear train within a gearbox housing portion of the housing structure that is selectively driven by the turbomachine;
a starter within a starter housing portion of the housing structure that selectively drives the turbomachine;
a shear bracket connectable to a flange of the housing structure; and
a support pin extending along a longitudinal axis, the support pin supporting the shear bracket relative to the turbomachine engine, the support pin and the shear bracket moveable axially relative to each other, the support pin and the flange movable axially relative to each other, the flange and the shear bracket configured to move together, wherein the support pin is spaced radially from the flange such that the support pin is outside an outermost perimeter of the flange.

11. The turbomachine assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a hanger attached to the turbomachine engine and supporting the support pin.

12. The turbomachine assembly of claim 10 , wherein the flange is a first flange and is adjacent the starter, and further comprising at least one second flange extending from a shaft housing portion of the housing structure, the support pin supporting the at least one second flange.

13. The turbomachine assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a spherical bearing and a bushing, the spherical bearing held within an aperture of the shear bracket, the bushing held by the spherical bearing, the bushing interfacing directly with the support pin and rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the support pin.

14. The turbomachine assembly of claim 10 , wherein the turbomachine is a land-based turbomachine.

15. A method of supporting a gearbox assembly, comprising:
securing a shear bracket to a portion of a housing structure; and
supporting the shear bracket relative to a turbomachine through a support pin that is moveable axially relative to the shear bracket and the portion of the housing structure,
wherein the portion of the housing structure is a first portion adjacent a starter, the support pin spaced from the first portion such that the support pin is outside a radially outermost perimeter of the first portion, and further comprising supporting a second portion of the housing structure through the support pin, the second portion adjacent a shaft housing portion of the housing structure.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising holding the support pin with a hanger attached to the turbomachine.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the turbomachine is a land-based turbomachine.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• United Techologies Corp

Inventors

• Bettagere Lakshminarayan S
• Van Duyn Keven
• Sondeen Mark R
• Zimmitti Jonathan F

Classifications

• F05D2260/37

  by a press fit connection · CPC title

• F02C7/32

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

• F05D2250/241

  spherical · CPC title

• F01D25/28 Primary

  Supporting or mounting arrangements, e.g. for turbine casing · CPC title

• F05D2230/642

  using maintaining alignment while permitting differential dilatation · CPC title