Rolls-royce Corporation

Rolls-royce Deutschland Ltd & Co. Kg

Rolls-royce Marine As

Rolls-royce Deutschland Ltd & Co

Giles E Harvey

Gideon Daniel Venter

Adriano Pulisciano

Astrid Rokke

Gideon Venter

An aircraft hybrid propulsion system () comprises an internal combustion engine () comprising a main drive shaft (), an electric machine () comprising an electric machine rotor (), a propulsor () mounted to a propulsor shaft (), and a clutch arrangement configured to selectively couple each of the gas turbine engine main drive shaft () and electric machine rotor () to the propulsor drive shaft (). The electric machine rotor () is mounted coaxially with the main drive shaft () and the clutch arrangement comprises a first overrunning clutch () configured to couple the main drive shaft () to the propulsor drive shaft (), and a second overrunning clutch () configured to couple the electric machine rotor () to the propulsor drive shaft ().

Aircraft hybrid propulsion system

The present disclosure concerns an electric aircraft propulsion system. Example embodiments include an aircraft propulsion system () comprising: a fan () mounted on a central shaft (); a first electric motor () mounted on the central shaft () and arranged to drive rotation of the fan () via the central shaft; and a second electric motor () arranged to drive rotation of the fan () via the central shaft (), wherein the second electric motor () is coaxially mounted downstream of the first electric motor () and an outer diameter (D) of the second electric motor () is smaller than an outer diameter (D) of the first electric motor ().

Aircraft propulsion system

An aircraft hybrid propulsion system comprises an internal combustion engine, an electric motor a propulsor and a combining gearbox. The internal combustion engine is coupled to a first input of the combining gearbox, the electric motor is coupled to a second input of the combining gearbox, and the propulsor is coupled to an output of the combining gearbox, such that the propulsor is driveable in use by either or both of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor. Each of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor is coupled to its respective input by a respective clutch.

An aircraft propulsion system comprises a vertical lift propulsor mounted within a wing of the aircraft. The vertical propulsor comprises an electric motor comprising a rotor mounted to a plurality of propulsor blades, the motor further comprising a stator. The rotor is provided radially outwardly of the stator.

An axial flow turbomachine () for producing thrust to propel an aircraft is shown. The turbomachine has an inner duct () and an outer duct (), both of which are annular and concentric with one another. An inner fan () is located in the inner duct, and is configured to produce a primary pressurised flow (P). An outer fan () is located in an outer duct, and is configured to produce a secondary pressurised flow (S). The outer fan has a hollow hub () through which the inner duct passes. The inner fan is configured to have, in operation, a rate of rotation of from 3 to 8 times that of the outer fan.

Concentric turbomachine with electric machine

An axial flow turbomachine () for producing thrust to propel an aircraft is shown. The turbomachine has an inner duct () and an outer duct (), both of which are annular and concentric with one another. An inner fan () is located in the inner duct, and is configured to produce a primary pressurised flow (P). An outer fan () is located in an outer duct, and is configured to produce a secondary pressurised flow (S). The outer fan has a hollow hub () through which the inner duct passes. The inner fan is configured to have, in operation, a tip speed of from 1 to 3 times that of the outer fan.

An aircraft propulsion system comprises first and second co-axial propulsors, one of the first and second propulsor being positioned forward of the other propulsor. A first electric motor is configured to drive the first propulsor, and a second electric motor is configured to drive the second propulsor. The first electric motor comprising a rotor radially inwardly of the stator, and the second electric motor comprises a rotor radially outwardly of the stator. The stator of the first electric motor is mounted to the stator of the second electric motor.

An axial flow turbomachine () for producing thrust to propel an aircraft is shown. The turbomachine has an inner duct () and an outer duct (), both of which are annular and concentric with one another. An inner fan () is located in the inner duct, and is configured to produce a primary pressurised flow (P). An outer fan () is located in an outer duct, and is configured to produce a secondary pressurised flow (S). The outer fan has a hollow hub () through which the inner duct passes. The outer fan has a diameter of from 2.5 to 3.5 times a diameter of the inner fan.

A star-configuration epicyclic gearbox is shown. It comprises a sun gear () for connection with a first shaft (), a plurality of planet gears () intermeshed with the sun gear and located in a static carrier (), and a ring gear () for connection with a second shaft () and which is intermeshed with the plurality of planet gears. It further comprises one or more electric machines () drivingly connected with a respective one of the plurality of planet gears.

Epicyclic gearbox

An axial flow turbomachine () for producing thrust to propel an aircraft is shown. The turbomachine has an inner duct () and an outer duct (), both of which are annular and concentric with one another. An inner fan () is located in the inner duct, and is configured to produce a primary pressurised flow (P). An outer fan () is located in an outer duct, and is configured to produce a secondary pressurised flow (S). The outer fan has a hollow hub () through which the inner duct passes. A swept area of the outer fan is from 2 to 20 times greater than a swept area of the inner fan.

Concentric turbomachine with trailing edge

An axial flow turbomachine () for producing thrust to propel an aircraft is shown. The turbomachine has an inner duct () and an outer duct (), both of which are annular and concentric with one another. An inner fan () is located in the inner duct, and is configured to produce a primary pressurised flow (P). An outer fan () is located in an outer duct, and is configured to produce a secondary pressurised flow (S). The outer fan has a hollow hub () through which the inner duct passes. A hub-tip ratio of the outer fan is from 1.6 to 2.2 times a hub-tip ratio of the inner fan.

Turbomachine having inner and outer fans with hub-tip ratios

An electric ducted fan for an aircraft is shown. A nacelle defines a duct that houses a propulsive fan having a fan diameter D. An electric machine is configured to drive the fan, and has an electromagnetically active length Land an electromagnetically active diameter Ddefining an aspect ratio (L/D) of from 0.8 to 2. A ratio of the electromagnetically active diameter Dto the fan diameter D(D/D) is from 0.45 to 0.60.

Electric ducted fan

An electric ducted fan for an aircraft is shown. A nacelle defines a duct that houses a propulsive fan having a fan diameter D. An electric machine is configured to drive the fan, and has an electromagnetically active length Land an electromagnetically active diameter Ddefining an aspect ratio (L/D) of from 0.8 to 2. A speed reduction device is located between the electric machine and the fan, and has a reduction ratio of at least 3:1. A ratio of the electromagnetically active diameter Dto the fan diameter D(D/D) is from 0.3 to 0.5.

A planet carrier for an epicyclic gearbox, the planet carrier comprising: a single piece carrier body arranged to support a plurality of gears of the epicyclic gearbox; and an opening in a wall of the carrier body; wherein: in a cross-section of the carrier body in a plane that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the carrier body and at a longitudinal position along the carrier body that does not comprise the opening, the carrier body is substantially annular; and the opening is arranged such that the gears that the carrier body is arranged to support can be passed entirely through the opening.

Planet carrier and method of assembling of a planet carrier

An electric motor generator system has a hollow rotatable shaft, a coil spar, and a plurality of magnet portions. The hollow rotatable shaft has a central longitudinal axis. The coil spar comprises one or more coil assemblies and is positioned concentrically within the hollow rotatable shaft. Each of the magnet portions is shaped to conform to a radially inwardly facing surface of the shaft. Each of the plurality of magnet portions abuts conformally against the radially inwardly facing surface of the shaft between the radially inwardly facing surface and the or each coil assembly.

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Derby, United Kingdom

Giles E Harvey