US 12,448,925 B2
System and method for detecting and reducing torque in a turbine engine
Brandon Wayne Miller, Middletown, OH (US); Andrew Hudecki, Milford, OH (US); Kevin Richard Graziano, Cincinnati, OH (US); Arthur William Sibbach, Boxford, MA (US); Inenhe Mohammed Khalid, Hamilton, OH (US); Andrea Piazza, Turin (IT); and Stefan Joseph Cafaro, Chapel Hill, NC (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US); and GE Avio S.r.l., Rivalta di Torino (IT)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US); and GE Avio S.r.l., Rivalta di Torino (IT)
Filed on May 22, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/671,084.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/537,393, filed on Sep. 8, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0084799 A1, Mar. 13, 2025
Int. Cl. F02C 9/58 (2006.01); F02C 7/36 (2006.01)
CPC F02C 9/58 (2013.01) [F02C 7/36 (2013.01); F05D 2220/36 (2013.01); F05D 2260/40311 (2013.01); F05D 2270/052 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a fan section comprising a fan rotatable with a fan shaft;
a turbomachinery section comprising a turbine and a turbomachine shaft rotatable with the turbine;
a power gearbox mechanically coupled to the fan shaft and the turbomachine shaft such that the fan shaft is rotatable by the turbomachine shaft across the power gearbox;
a grounded structure coupled to and supporting the power gearbox;
a torque monitoring system comprising a gearbox sensor, the gearbox sensor coupled to the grounded structure, the torque monitoring system configured to determine a torque across the power gearbox using the gearbox sensor; and
a controller operably coupled with the gearbox sensor, the controller configured to:
determine a model torque based on received data indicative of one or more of a speed of the fan shaft, a pitch of fan blades of the fan, a Mach number of an aircraft in which the gas turbine engine is installed, an ambient temperature, or an altitude of the aircraft;
receive data indicative of the torque across the power gearbox;
determine the torque across the power gearbox is below the model torque using the received data indicative of the torque across the power gearbox; and
reduce a supply of fuel to the gas turbine engine in response to determining the torque across the power gearbox is below the model torque.