Rolls-royce Corporation

Rolls-royce North American Technologies Inc.

David C Farnum

Douglas David Dierksmeier

Patrick C Sweeney

Ben Moloney

Joseph A Swift

Ryan Charles Humes

Kerry J Lighty

Daniel Feinstein

Jared Isamu Taketa

Brett Hartnagel

Andrew Schwendenmann

An anti-rotation device for a pair of threaded components includes a pair of ratchet interfaces and a spring element. A first ratchet interface and the spring element are movably disposed within a first threaded component, and a second ratchet interface is disposed at a mating end of a second threaded component. During relative rotation of the pair of threaded components, the ratchet interfaces engage, providing a resistance to the threaded components loosening that is greater than a resistance that the ratchet interfaces provide to the threaded components tightening. The anti-rotation device engages automatically upon relative rotation of the threaded components, and not as a separate step occurring after rotation. Additionally, the anti-rotation device may be especially useful in systems where various types of movement can cause the threaded components to loosen, and where visual access to the anti-rotation device is impeded.

Ratcheting secondary locking feature

A gearbox housing includes a set of ribs on an inner surface of a wall portion of the housing. During a fire event, heat received at the outside of the gearbox is transferred to the ribs, which transfer the heat away from the wall portion, in turn resisting the fire. The ribs may transfer the heat to oil, which may flow toward an oil drain. In addition or alternatively, the ribs may transfer the heat to a heat sink of the housing to which they are connected. The ribs may allow a thin region surrounding the ribs to a have a minimum thickness that is thinner than required to pass a fire test, thereby allowing for lighter weight gearbox houses that are still fire resistant.

Fire resistant gearbox housing

An oil scavenge system of a rotatable machine having an axis of rotation is disclosed. The oil scavenge system comprises a sump housing, a scavenge conduit, a bearing, and a squeeze film damper. The sump housing is arranged about the axis and at least partly defining a sump. The sump housing has a radially inner surface for directing the flow of oil and defining a collection orifice. The scavenge conduit is in fluid communication with the collection orifice and a downstream location remote from the sump. The bearing is disposed within the sump. The squeeze film damper is positioned proximate the bearing. The squeeze film damper comprises an annular channel and a supply line. The supply line supplies oil to the annular channel. The squeeze film damper further comprises a discharge line. The discharge line is axially aligned with and discharges toward an inner wall of the scavenge conduit.

Drain arrangement for a squeeze film damper

An improved system, apparatus and method may be configured for detecting coking in a gas turbine engine. The system may comprise one or more heatable collecting elements configured to be positioned in a fuel supply passage having an inlet and an outlet. The apparatus heatable collecting may be configured to generate heat at or over a fuel system temperature range to induce coking in at least one of the heatable collecting elements. The apparatus may also include a sensor configured to detect an indication of coking on the heatable collecting elements and, in response to the coking indication, communicate a coking condition signal to an engine control.

System and method for coking detection

An inner ring for a bearing comprises a ring body including outer and inner surfaces each extending in a circumferential direction about a longitudinal axis. The outer surface is disposed radially outside the inner surface and includes (a) a raceway for supporting circumferentially arranged rolling elements, (b) a forward separator land, and (c) an aft separator land, where the raceway is axially situated between the forward and aft separator lands. The inner surface includes an annular groove for containing a lubricant under centrifugal forces. Flow passages for distributing the lubricant extend through the ring body from the inner surface to the outer surface, including a set of first flow passages extending from the annular groove to the raceway, a set of second flow passages extending from the annular groove to the forward separator land, and a set of third flow passages extending from the annular groove to the aft separator land.

Growing community of inventors

Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

David C Farnum