Accessory Gearbox Air/Oil Separator Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing accessory gearbox for turbine engines is too bulky, making it difficult to integrate with the increasingly restricted environment of aeronautical engines, as it requires a significant axial size to accommodate the rotating parts of apparatuses like air/oil separators outside the gearbox.
Innovation Solution
The accessory gearbox integrates the air/oil separator's rotating part, specifically the filtering membrane, directly onto a pinion web inside the casing, eliminating the need for a drive shaft and guide bearings, thereby reducing the axial size and weight while improving assembly reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the rotating part of the air/oil separator is housed outside the accessory gearbox, then the apparatus can be driven by a pinion shank, but the axial size of the gearbox and apparatus becomes too large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the air/oil separator apparatus with the accessory gearbox by housing the rotating part (filtering membrane) inside the gearbox casing. The filtering membrane is directly mounted on the web of the pinion, integrating two previously separate components into one unified structure, thereby reducing axial size while maintaining functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating part of the air/oil separator (filtering membrane) is nested within the accessory gearbox casing, specifically mounted on the pinion web. This nesting arrangement allows the separator to occupy space within the existing gearbox envelope rather than extending outward, significantly reducing the overall axial dimension
2Weight of moving object
If a drive shaft and guide bearings are used to connect the pinion to the rotating part, then the apparatus can be driven, but the weight and axial size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the drive shaft from the system by directly mounting the filtering membrane on the pinion web. The pinion itself serves as the driving element, removing the intermediate drive shaft and its associated guide bearings, thereby reducing weight and simplifying the structure while maintaining reliable power transmission
Solution Approach 2:
The pinion serves multiple functions: it transmits mechanical power from the gearbox and simultaneously acts as the mounting structure for the filtering membrane. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate drive shafts and bearings, reducing weight while maintaining the reliability of power transmission through the pinion's inherent structural integrity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This integration results in a more compact and reliable accessory gearbox, allowing for a significant reduction in size and weight, enhancing the engine's performance by simplifying the apparatus and reducing bulkiness.
Implementation Method 1
a mixture of air and oil is introduced into the separator, which is intended to set the mixture into rotation in order to separate the oil from the air by centrifugal effect
Implementation Method 2
The air separated from the oil is then intended to pass through a filtering membrane that is set into rotation by the shank of the pinion and retains the last droplets of oil contained in the air
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an accessory gearbox (10) for a turbomachine, said gearbox being equipped with an air/oil separator (12) and comprising a casing (24) in which intermeshing pinions are mounted, one (18) of which is solidly connected to a coaxial shank (22) for driving at least one membrane filter (35) of the separator, characterized in that the membrane filter is mounted directly on a web of the pinion (18) inside the casing.