Textron Innovations Inc.

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Gary Cope

Scott David Poster

David A Elliott

Carlos Alexander Fenny

Charles Hubert Speller

Ryan Thomas Ehinger

Walter West Riley

Charles J Kilmain

David Sembritzky

Walter Riley

Charles Hubert Speller Jr

A non-pressurized accessory gearbox for an aircraft includes: a housing, one or more gears disposed within the housing, an input rotating member to receive input from a main rotor gearbox via a shaft connected to the one or more gears, and one or more output rotating members in communication with the one or more gears. The gearbox is configured to utilize splash lubrication for moving a lubrication fluid within the housing.

Non-pressurized accessory gearbox

According to one embodiment, a clutch may be coupled between a rotor system and a power train of a rotorcraft. The clutch may be operable to disengage the rotor system from the power train during operation of the power train. A clutch control system in communication with the clutch and include a rotorcraft condition sensor operable to sense an operating condition of the rotorcraft and a control unit operable to prevent the clutch from disengaging the rotor system from the power train if the operating condition of the rotorcraft fails to satisfy a predetermined criterion.

Disconnecting a rotor

A lubrication system includes a reserve housing configured to retain a lubrication fluid. A supply line in fluid communication with the reserve housing is configured to provide pressurized lubrication fluid to the reserve housing. An overflow tube has an overflow port, the overflow tube being configured to prevent the volume of the lubrication fluid from exceeding a certain amount. A metering jet is configured to allow the lubrication fluid to flow from the reserve housing onto a component, such as a bearing, in the gearbox at a predetermined rate. The metering jet provides flow of the lubrication fluid onto the bearing even when the supply line no longer provides pressurized lubrication fluid to the reserve housing.

Gearbox with passive lubrication system

Growing community of inventors

Keller, TX, United States of America

Gary Cope