Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Stephen R Sammataro

Jules G Kish

Charles J Isabelle

Michael F Mullen

Ryan Patry

Jason DeWitt McPeak

Scott Bradley Poteet

Yuriy Dmytrenko

Michael John Orazietti

Jules Gene Kish

A drain plug assembly includes a valve body, a removable closure, a poppet, and a resilient member. The valve body has a central bore extending between an inlet and an axially opposite outlet. The bore has a seat arranged between the inlet and outlet. The closure has an unseated and seated position, the closure cooperating with the seat to form an outer seal in the seated position. The poppet is arranged in the bore on a side of the seat opposite the outlet and has open and closed positions, the poppet cooperating with the seat to form an interior seal in the closed position. The resilient member is arranged between the valve body and the poppet for fluidly isolating the inlet from the outlet irrespective of the closure position. A snap ring and locking spline arrange are incorporated to prevent removal of the valve body during service.

Self-closing drain plugs with redundant sealing

A helicopter is provided and includes an engine, a rotor, a gear train configured to transmit torque from the engine to the rotor such that the rotor is rotatable about an axis of rotation, a primary lubrication system, which is configured to supply the gear train with a fluid and a secondary lubrication system disposed in a gear of the gear train, including a fluid reservoir, which is configured to receive and store the fluid and to continue to supply the gear train with the fluid following a failure of the primary lubrication system.

Gear geometry with fluid reservoir and fluid paths

A gearbox assembly includes a gearbox housing and a gear located in the housing and rotatable about a central axis. One or more gear shields are fixed in the housing and at least partially surround the gear. The one or more gear shields define a cavity between the gear and the one or more gear shields. The one or more gear shields are configured such that a pumping action is created by the gear rotation to direct gearbox lubricant out of the cavity. A method of scavenging lubricant from a gearbox includes pumping a flow of lubricant circumferentially around a cavity defined between a gear and a gear shield at least partially surrounding the gear via rotation of the gear about a central axis. The flow of lubricant is urged from the cavity into a lubricant outlet. The lubricant is urged through a lubricant channel in an axial direction.

Self scavenging gear shield

A method and system for magnetically detecting thermal degradation of a component. A multiple of ferrous metal segments are attached to a component not within a lubrication circuit of a lubrication system with a thermally-affected bonding agent. The thermally-affected bonding agent is operable to detach at a threshold temperature at least one of the multiple of ferrous metal segments such that the at least one of the multiple of detached ferrous metal segments enters the lubrication circuit of the lubrication system. The at least one of the multiple of ferrous metal segments which detached are then detected within the lubrication system.

Sealed bearing assembly failure detection

A non-ferrous component comprising a thermally-affected adhesive applied to a surface of the component, and at least one ferrous metal wire attached to the surface of the component by the thermally-affected adhesive.

Bearing overtemperature indicator

A transmission for changing the rotational speed of an engine input shaft to a driven output shaft. The transmission includes a first and second face gears. Each face gear has first and second sets of teeth formed on it. Each set of teeth forms an annular pattern about a central axis. The second set of teeth on each face gear is located within and concentric with the first set of teeth. An input gear, adapted to be driven by the engine output shaft, is disposed between and engaged with the first sets of teeth on the first and second face gears such that rotation of the input gear produces rotation of the first and second face gears in opposite directions about the central axis. An output pinion is rotatably mounted to a pinion shaft. The output pinion is disposed between and engaged with the second sets of teeth on the first and second face gears such that rotation of the face gears produces corresponding rotation of the output pinion about the pinion shaft. The pinion shaft is adapted to rotate a driven output shaft, such as a main rotor shaft on a helicopter, about an axis coincident with the central axis. The transmission of the present invention is designed such that rotation of the first and second face gears about the central axis produces corresponding rotation of the pinion shaft and driven output shaft about the central axis.

Differential speed transmission

An isolated ring gear (60) for a planetary gear drive system (12), which isolated ring gear (60) is operative transferring torque loads and reducing the transmission of high frequency vibrations from the planetary pinions (36) of the drive system (12) to an adjacent support (50). The isolated ring gear (60) includes and inner ring segment (62), an outer ring segment (64) and a plurality of spring elements (66) disposed between and integrally formed with the inner and outer ring segments (62, 64). The inner ring segment (62) has a plurality of gear teeth (62.sub.T) for being disposed in intermeshing combination with the teeth (3b.sub.T) of the planetary pinions (36) and the outer ring segment (64) is rigidly affixed to the adjacent support structure (50). The spring elements (66) are operative to transfer torque loads from the inner ring segment (62) to the outer ring segment (64) and, furthermore, provide a torsionally soft load path for reducing the transmission of high frequency vibrations from the inner ring segment (62) to the adjacent support structure (50). The isolated ring gear (60) is fabricated by the steps of: forming a ring-shaped blank of metallic material, grinding a series of gear teeth (62.sub.T) about an inner diameter of the ring-shaped blank and selectively removing material from the ring-shaped blank to form the plurality of spring elements (66), thereby segmenting the blank into the inner and outer ring segments (62, 64). The preferred fabrication method includes wire electro-discharge machining.

Method of making an isolated ring gear for planetary gear drive systems

An isolated ring gear (60) for a planetary gear drive system (12), which isolated ring gear (60) is operative transferring torque loads and reducing the transmission of high frequency vibrations from the planetary pinions (36) of the drive system (12) to an adjacent support (50). The isolated ring gear (60) includes and inner ring segment (62), an outer ring segment (64) and a plurality of spring elements (66) disposed between and integrally formed with the inner and outer ring segments (62, 64). The inner ring segment (62) has a plurality of gear teeth (62.sub.T) for being disposed in intermeshing combination with the teeth (32b.sub.T) of the planetary pinions (36) and the outer ring segment (64) is rigidly affixed to the adjacent support structure (50). The spring elements (66) are operative to transfer torque loads from the inner ring segment (62) to the outer ring segment (64) and, furthermore, provide a torsionally soft load path for reducing the transmission of high frequency vibrations from the inner ring segment (62) to the adjacent support structure (50).

Isolated ring gear for planetary gear drive systems

A self-scavenging, hybrid lubrication subsystem for a main transmission gearbox includes a sump fabricated as an integral extension of the lower portion of the gearbox wherein the sump dynamic fluid level is above the gearbox bottom. The interior sidewall of the lower gearbox is modified to include a cylindrical segment having a first radius, a throat segment having a second radius, and a transition segment contiguous with the cylindrical and throat segments. The radial discontinuity between the cylindrical and throat segments defines a nozzle inlet that directs the outflow of lubricating medium in the gearbox bottom to the sump via a nozzle. The outflow end of the nozzle is positioned above the sump dynamic fluid level. Housed within the lower gearbox is a planetary gear train that includes an annular planetary carrier plate having a deflection plate mounted thereto. The periphery of the carrier plate and the cylindrical and throat segments in combination form primary and restricted flow channels. Interaction between the deflection plate and the gearbox bottom exerts a viscous pumping action on the lubricating medium in the gearbox bottom causing it to flow outwardly into the primary and restricted flow channels. Interaction between the periphery of the rotating carrier plate and the structurally-modified sidewall exerts a viscous pumping action on the lubricating medium in the flow channels causing it to flow therethrough. Substantially all of the lubricating medium flowing through the primary flow channel is diverted through the nozzle to the sump.

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Madison, CT, United States of America

Stephen R Sammataro