US 12,078,075 B2
Turbomachines and epicyclic gear assemblies with axially offset sun and ring gears
Marco Facchini, Rivalta di Torino (IT); Gianluca Andrei, Rivalta di Torino (IT); and Paolo Altamura, Brindisi (IT)
Assigned to GE Avio S.r.l., (IT)
Filed by GE Avio S.r.l., Rivalta di Torino (IT)
Filed on Dec. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/091,753.
Application 18/091,753 is a division of application No. 17/307,948, filed on May 4, 2021, granted, now 11,542,829.
Claims priority of application No. 102020000010123 (IT), filed on May 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0142971 A1, May 11, 2023
Int. Cl. F02C 7/36 (2006.01); F01D 5/02 (2006.01); F01D 25/00 (2006.01); F16H 1/28 (2006.01); F16H 1/32 (2006.01); F16H 1/46 (2006.01); F16H 3/44 (2006.01); F16H 57/08 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 25/00 (2013.01) [F01D 5/022 (2013.01); F02C 7/36 (2013.01); F16H 1/2809 (2013.01); F16H 1/32 (2013.01); F16H 1/46 (2013.01); F16H 3/44 (2013.01); F16H 57/08 (2013.01); F05D 2260/40311 (2013.01); F16H 2001/289 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A turbomachine engine comprising:
a fan assembly comprising a plurality of fan blades;
a core engine comprising a turbine and an input shaft rotatable with the turbine; and
a single-stage epicyclic gear assembly that receives the input shaft at a first speed and drives an output shaft coupled to the fan assembly at a second speed, the second speed being slower than the first speed, the gear assembly comprising:
a sun gear, a plurality of planet gears, and a ring gear, the sun gear rotating about a longitudinal centerline of the gear assembly;
a sun gear-mesh region along the longitudinal centerline of the gear assembly where the sun gear is configured to contact the plurality of planet gears;
a ring gear-mesh region along the longitudinal centerline of the gear assembly where the ring gear is configured to contact the plurality of planet gears,
wherein the sun gear-mesh region is axially offset from the ring gear-mesh region along the longitudinal centerline such that at least 50% of a width of the sun gear-mesh region does not axially overlap with the ring gear-mesh region,
wherein the sun gear, the plurality of planet gears, and the ring gear comprise double helical gears, and the sun gear comprises a first sun gear set and a second sun gear set, each of the plurality of planet gears comprise a first planet gear set and a second planet gear set, and the ring gear comprises a first ring gear set and a second ring gear set,
wherein the first ring gear set and the second ring gear set are axially spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal centerline, and the first sun gear set and the second sun gear set are positioned between the first ring gear set and the second ring gear set,
wherein the sun gear-mesh region comprises a first sun gear-mesh region where the first sun gear set meshes with the first planet gear sets and a second sun gear-mesh region where the second sun gear set meshes with the second planet gear sets,
the ring gear-mesh region comprises a first ring gear-mesh region where the first ring gear set meshes with the first planet gear sets and a second ring gear-mesh region where the second ring gear set meshes with the second planet gear sets, and
wherein a width of the first planet gear set is less than a combined width of the first sun gear set and the first ring gear set.