Rolls-royce Corporation

Rolls-royce North American Technologies Inc.

Rolls-royce American Technologies, Inc.

Andrew Swift

Antony Morgan

Stewart T Thornton

Robert Anthony Ress, Jr

Paul Simms

Kenneth Franklin Udall

Martyn Richards

Glenn A Knight

Stewart Thornton

Glenn Knight

An aircraft gas turbine engine includes an engine core including a turbine, a compressor, a core shaft connecting the turbine to compressor, and a core casing surrounding the engine core. A fan is located upstream of the engine core and fan casing surrounds the fan. A gearbox receives input from the core shaft and outputs drive to rotate the fan. A single plane support structure connects the core and fan casing. The support structure includes an inner ring, outer ring and plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending struts connecting the inner and outer ring. The inner ring including a torsion box and a gearbox and fan support structure is connected to the torsion box. A front and rear mount are configured to connect the gas turbine engine to the aircraft, wherein the front mount is coupled to the torque box and the rear mount is coupled to the core casing.

Geared turbofan gas turbine engine mounting arrangement

A coupling arrangement for a gas turbine engine. The arrangement comprises first, second and third members. The first member has a first threaded mating surface extending in a first direction (X) and a flange extending in a direction generally normal to the first direction (X). The second member has a second threaded mating surface extending in the first direction (X) and a flange extending in a direction generally normal to the first direction (X), the flanges of the first and second members engaging against one another. The third member has a third threaded mating surface configured to engage against the first threaded mating surface, and a fourth threaded mating surface configured to engage against the second threaded mating surface.

Gas turbine engine coupling arrangement

A gas turbine engine, including: a low pressure spool having a low pressure compressor and a low pressure turbine connected by a low pressure shaft; a reduction gear train having a sun gear, a carrier having a plurality of planet gears attached thereto, and a ring gear, wherein one of the sun gear, carrier or ring gear is connected to the low pressure shaft, and another of the sun gear, carrier and ring gear provides an output drive; a propulsive fan mounted fore of the gear train; a fan shafting arrangement comprising a fan shaft which is connected to the output drive of the gear train and a fan support shaft which passes through center of the gear train along the axis of rotation of the gearbox and fan, wherein the fan shafting arrangement is rotatably supported by at least two axially separated bearings.

Shafting arrangement for a gas turbine engine

Disclosed is a gas turbine engine comprising: a low pressure spool having a low pressure compressor and a low pressure turbine connected by a low pressure shaft; a reduction gear train having a sun gear, a carrier having a plurality of planet gears attached thereto, and a ring gear, wherein the sun gear is driveably connected to the low pressure shaft, and either of carrier and ring gear provides an output drive connected to a propulsive fan; wherein the connection between the low pressure shaft and the sun gear includes a flexible drive shaft having serially connected concentrically nested first and second input shafts between the low pressure shaft and sun gear.

Sun gear drive arrangement

A gas turbine engine includes a compressor assembly that is rotationally coupled to a shaft. The engine includes a radial diffuser assembly coupled to a shroud of the compressor assembly and positioned to receive compressed air from a centrifugal impeller. The radial diffuser assembly includes a first arcuate wall and a second wall, and a near axial diffuser coupled to the radial diffuser assembly and positioned to receive the compressed air from the radial diffuser assembly. The gas turbine includes a gas seal coupled between the second wall and a wall of the near axial diffuser, the gas seal configured to prevent the compressed air from passing through the seal while allowing relative motion between the radial diffuser assembly and the near axial diffuser.

Gas turbine engine diffuser system for a high pressure (HP) compressor

A gas turbine engine includes a compressor assembly that is rotationally coupled to a shaft, the compressor assembly having a centrifugal impeller and a shroud covering a bladed portion of the centrifugal impeller. The compressor assembly includes a diffuser that is attached to the shroud via a pair of flanges, the diffuser including a strut that is mounted through an aft-extending leg to a base of an intercase. A sealing assembly is attached to the diffuser and is attachable to a transition duct that is positioned to receive air from the diffuser. The sealing assembly is configured to prevent air from passing through the sealing assembly while allowing relative motion to occur between the transition duct and the diffuser.

Gas turbine engine impeller system for an intermediate pressure (IP) compressor

A pitch change apparatus is provided for a propeller assembly having a row of propeller blades which rotate around an axis of the assembly. The apparatus has a unison ring which is coaxial with the propeller assembly. The unison ring is movable to drive respective mechanisms for varying the pitch of the blades. The apparatus further has a plurality of pitch lock assemblies circumferentially distributed around the unison ring. Each pitch lock assembly has a free state which allows movement of the unison ring and a locked state which prevents or limits movement of the unison ring and thus prevents or limits variation of the pitch of the blades. The pitch lock assembly moves from the free to the locked state when the assembly receives a signal to lock the blades.

Propeller assembly pitch change apparatus

An engine arrangement has a gear assembly that drives a first propeller assembly. The gear assembly is driven by a power drive shaft that joins to the gear assembly at a first side. The engine arrangement has a static conduit that extends along a longitudinal internal cavity of the power drive shaft. The conduit penetrates the gear assembly such that a portion of the conduit projects from an opposing second side of the gear assembly. The engine arrangement has one or more first fluid supply lines routed along the static conduit between a hydraulic pressure power source and the first hydraulic actuator. A first hydraulic rotating coupling is mounted to the projecting portion of the static conduit. The first fluid supply lines fluidly communicate with the first hydraulic actuator via the first rotating coupling.

Engine arrangement

A back-up featherer is provided for an engine arrangement having a main hydraulic actuator which operates a pitch change mechanism to angularly displace propellers of a propeller assembly of the engine arrangement, the pitch change mechanism and main hydraulic actuator rotating with the propeller assembly. The back-up featherer has one or more back-up hydraulic actuators located on a static structure of the engine arrangement. The back-up featherer further has one or more load application members which are located on the static structure of the engine arrangement and which are movable by the back-up hydraulic actuators. When moved by the back-up hydraulic actuators, the load application members bear against an engagement portion of the pitch change mechanism across a rotating interface formed therebetween to apply a load to the pitch change mechanism which results in angular displacement of the propellers.

Back-up featherer

A pitch control mechanism for controlling the pitch of propeller assembly propellers has a hydraulic actuator, main hydraulic fluid supply lines, first back-up hydraulic fluid supply lines, and second back-up hydraulic fluid supply lines. The hydraulic actuator has first and second hydraulic cylinders that each angularly displace the propellers between fine and coarse positions. The main hydraulic fluid supply lines supply fluid to the first and second hydraulic cylinders for operating the hydraulic cylinders. The first back-up hydraulic fluid supply lines supply fluid to the hydraulic cylinder for displacing the propellers to a coarser position. The second back-up hydraulic fluid supply lines supply fluid to the second hydraulic cylinder for displacing the propellers to a coarser position. When the main hydraulic fluid supply lines supply inadequate fluid, the first and/or second back-up hydraulic fluid supply lines can supply fluid for displacing the propellers to a coarser position.

Pitch control mechanism

A pitch change apparatus comprises a hydraulic actuator for angular displacement of propellers of the propeller assembly. The hydraulic actuator has a piston and cylinder arrangement which defines fine and coarse fluid chambers. Increasing the volume of the fine chamber at the expense of the coarse chamber results in angular displacement of the propellers to a finer pitch. Increasing the volume of the coarse chamber at the expense of the fine chamber results in angular displacement of the propellers to a coarser pitch. The pitch change apparatus further comprises one or more fine hydraulic lines carrying hydraulic fluid to and from the fine chamber, and a coarse hydraulic line carrying hydraulic fluid to and from the coarse chamber. The apparatus further comprises a pressure-sensing check valve which fluidly isolates the coarse chamber from the coarse hydraulic line if the pressure in the coarse hydraulic line falls below a threshold pressure.

Pitch change apparatus

A back-up featherer is provided for an engine arrangement having a main hydraulic actuator which angularly displaces propellers of a propeller assembly of the engine arrangement. The back-up featherer has a back-up hydraulic actuator for angular displacement of the propellers, the back-up hydraulic actuator rotating with the propeller assembly. The back-up featherer further has one or more back-up fluid supply lines for transferring hydraulic fluid between a hydraulic pressure power source located on a static structure of the engine arrangement and the back-up hydraulic actuator. The back-up featherer further has a back-up hydraulic rotating coupling, the back-up fluid supply lines fluidly communicating with the back-up hydraulic actuator via the back-up rotating coupling. A static side of the back-up hydraulic rotating coupling is mounted to the static structure of the engine arrangement, and a rotating side of the back-up hydraulic rotating coupling rotates with the propeller assembly.

A back-up featherer for an engine arrangement having a main hydraulic actuator which angularly displaces propellers of a propeller assembly of the engine arrangement, and fluid supply lines for transferring hydraulic fluid between a hydraulic pressure power source located on a static structure of the engine arrangement and the main hydraulic actuator. The back-up featherer has a back-up actuator assembly for angular displacement of the propellers, the back-up actuator assembly rotating with the propeller assembly, a signal detector operatively connected to the back-up actuator assembly and rotates with the propeller assembly, and a back-up rotating coupling. A static side of the back-up rotating coupling is mounted to the static structure of the engine arrangement and communicates with a regulator located on a static structure of the engine arrangement. A rotating side of the back-up hydraulic rotating coupling rotates with the propeller assembly and communicates with the signal detector.

A blade arrangement for a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of blades mounted for rotation on a disc so as to extend radially therefrom and a retention member, the retention member including an attachment portion which is attached to the disc and an abutment portion for resisting forward axial movement of at least one of the blades relative to the disc. The blade arrangement further comprises restraint means spaced from the attachment portion of the retention member, for substantially preventing radially outward movement of the abutment portion of the retention member when a forward axial force is applied by the blade to the abutment portion.

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Uttoxeter, United Kingdom

Andrew Swift