Ge Avio S.r.l.

Ge Aviation Czech S.r.o.

General Electric Company

Ge Aviation Systems Limited

Simone Castellani

Giuseppe Cervelli

Miriam Manzoni

Vojtech Jirasek

Giuseppe Bellocchio

Felice Felippone

Marco Garabello

Pierpaolo Forte

Stefano Ettorre

Giuseppe Donini

Alessio Gargioli

Davide Lauria

Federico Dellavalle

Lorenzo Cipolla

Thomas Bradley Kenney

Christopher Roy Carrington

Cristian Lai

Aniello Esposito

Albion R Fletcher, Jr

Giampaolo Gabbi

Mehdi Milani Baladi

Steven Clark Calkins

Robert Jon Mcquiston

Joseph Donofrio

Nicholas William Simone

Albion Richardson Fletcher Jr

Jr Fletcher Albion Richardson

A variable pitch propeller assembly operatively coupled with an engine and methods for controlling the pitch of a plurality of propeller blades thereof is provided. In one example aspect, the variable pitch propeller assembly includes features for combining overspeed, feathering, and reverse functionality in a single secondary control valve. The secondary control valve is operable to selectively allow a controlled amount of hydraulic fluid to flow to or from a pitch actuation assembly such that the pitch of the propeller blades can be adjusted to operate the variable pitch propeller assembly in one of a constant speed mode, a feather mode, and a reverse mode.

Propeller assembly and pitch control unit

An aircraft can comprise an engine, an environmental control system, an engine controller, and a plurality of sensors detecting engine or aircraft parameters. Engine or aircraft operation can be updated in real time based on input from the sensors, including airflow management or operation parameters.

Controlling a compressor of a turbine engine

Propeller control systems and methods for controlling the pitch of a plurality of propeller blades of a variable pitch propeller assembly operatively coupled with an engine is provided. In one exemplary aspect, the propeller control system includes features for combining overspeed and feathering protective functions in a protective control valve communicatively coupled with a controller. In such an event the controller controls the protective control valve to selectively allow a controlled amount of hydraulic fluid to flow to or from a pitch actuation assembly such that the pitch of the propeller blades can be adjusted based at least in part on the condition of the engine.

Propeller control system for an aircraft

A variable pitch propeller assembly is operatively coupled with an engine and methods for controlling the pitch of a plurality of propeller blades thereof are associated. In one example aspect, the variable pitch propeller assembly includes features for combining overspeed, feathering, and reverse functionality in a single secondary control valve. The secondary control valve is operable to selectively allow a controlled amount of hydraulic fluid to flow to or from a pitch actuation assembly such that the pitch of the propeller blades can be adjusted to operate the variable pitch propeller assembly in one of a constant speed mode, a feather mode, and a reverse mode.

Combined overspeed, feathering, and reverse enabler control valve for a propeller assembly

A control system () for a gas turbine engine () having a gas generator () and a turbine () driven by the gas generator (), is provided with: a control unit () to control a forward operating mode or a reverse operating mode of the gas turbine engine (); and a supervising unit (), operatively coupled to the control unit (), to receive an input signal (PLA) indicative of a forward, or reverse, power request and to cause the control unit () to control the forward, or reverse, operating mode based on the input signal (PLA). The supervising unit () has an enabling stage () to enable a transition between the forward and reverse operating modes based on a check that a safety condition is satisfied.

Control system and method for managing a reverse-mode operation in a gas turbine engine

A method () for testing control logic for a propeller driven by a gas turbine engine of an aircraft includes overriding () a signal indicating the aircraft is operating in a ground mode. The method can further include testing () minimum pitch protection logic when the signal is overridden; determining () the gas turbine engine is operating at a ground fine setting; restoring () the signal to an original state in which the signal indicates the aircraft is operating in the ground mode; modifying () pitch protection logic; determining () the propeller is operating at an overspeed condition; and testing () the propeller overspeed protection logic. In addition, the method can also determine () the propeller is operating at a low pitch condition when the gas turbine engine is operating at the ground fine setting.

System and method for testing control logic for a propeller of a gas turbine engine

An electronic control system () for a turbopropeller engine () having a gas turbine () and a propeller (), coupled to the gas turbine, the control system () having a propeller control unit () and a turbine control unit () to jointly control engine power output based on an input request (PLA), wherein the propeller control unit () has a first reference generator (), to determine a reference propeller speed (N) based on the input request (PLA), and a first regulator (), to regulate a propeller speed (N). The propeller control unit () has a reference correction stage () to apply a correction to the reference propeller speed (N) and generate thereby a corrected reference propeller speed (I), and the first regulator () regulates the propeller speed (N) based on the corrected reference propeller speed (I) to achieve optimized efficiency.

Turbopropeller engine control system and method, providing optimized efficiency

The present disclosure is directed to a shaft assembly () for a turbine engine (), the shaft assembly () defining an axial direction and a radial direction, wherein the turbine engine () includes a fan or propeller assembly () and an engine core () and further wherein the fan or propeller assembly () includes a gearbox (). The shaft (assembly) includes a coupling shaft () defining a plurality of coupling shaft teeth () extended in the axial direction, wherein each coupling shaft tooth () is in circumferential arrangement along the coupling shaft (). The coupling shaft () includes a first material () and the plurality of coupling shaft teeth () include a second material () different from the first material ().

Magnetic torque metering system

The present disclosure is directed to a system for controlling an output of a gas generator via an operator manipulated input device. The system includes one or more sensors measuring one or more environmental conditions, a gas generator shaft speed, and a power turbine torque. The system further includes an operator manipulated input device and one or more controllers including one or more processors and one or more memory devices. The one or more memory devices stores instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations include receiving, via an operator manipulated input device, a throttle lever position defining at least an idle position, a takeoff position, and one or more intermediate positions therebetween; receiving, via one or more sensors, one or more environmental conditions, wherein the environmental condition includes one or more of an ambient air temperature, an ambient air pressure, and an ambient airflow rate; determining, via the controller, a first commanded fuel flow of the gas generator based on a gas generator speed output curve based at least on the throttle lever position, the one or more environmental conditions, and a coefficient reference table; determining, via the controller, a second commanded fuel flow of the gas generator based on a power turbine torque output curve based at least on the one or more environmental conditions; and generating, via the gas generator, a gas generator output based on the first commanded fuel flow or the second commanded fuel flow.

Method of controlling gas generator power and torque output

The present disclosure is directed to a turbine engine () defining an axial direction, a radial direction, a circumferential direction, a first end () and a second end () opposite of the first end () along the axial direction. The turbine engine includes a propeller assembly () proximate to the first end including a plurality of blades () arranged in the circumferential direction disposed around an axial centerline (), and a feathering mechanism () including a hollow piston rod (). The feathering mechanism rotates the plurality of blades about a pitch axis () extended in the radial direction from the axial centerline. The turbine engine further includes a housing () proximate to the second end disposed in adjacent arrangement with the propeller assembly in the axial direction. The axial centerline is defined through the propeller assembly and the housing. The turbine engine further includes a beta tube assembly () extended through the hollow piston rod and at least partially through the housing in coaxial alignment with the axial centerline. The beta tube assembly defines an at least partially hollow walled pipe () extended along the axial direction. The beta tube assembly further defines a plurality of grooves () extended along the axial direction proximate to the housing. A first groove () extends at least partially in the circumferential direction and along the axial direction to at least partially define a helix () corresponding to a rotatable range of the plurality of blades about the pitch axis, and a second groove () extends in the axial direction.

System and method of locating feathering propeller blade angular position

The present disclosure is directed to a method for determining an aircraft minimum low pitch setting for a propeller assembly and minimum gas generator idle speed for a gas generator, in which the propeller assembly and the gas generator together comprise a gas turbine engine. The method comprises determining, via one or more controllers, an operating condition of the aircraft based at least on a weight on wheels (WoW) signal and a throttle lever position. The WoW signal produces a first mode or a second mode different from the first mode, and the throttle lever position defines at least a takeoff position and an idle power position.

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Viareggio, Italy

Simone Castellani