Integrated Gear Web Structure for Lightweight High Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft gear systems are complex, costly to manufacture, and heavy due to their multi-part configurations, which complicates assembly and increases weight, despite efforts to reduce weight through electron beam welding or fastening members.
Innovation Solution
A gear design featuring first and second web pieces that obliquely extend from the rim to the hub in different directions, alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, forming an integrated structure to reduce parts and manufacturing costs, while ensuring rigidity through triangular and trapezoidal configurations and varying thicknesses to manage axial loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the gear web is constituted of two divided bodies coupled by a fastening member, then the coupling forms the gear web extending obliquely toward both sides in the axial direction achieving high rigidity, but the gear has a large number of parts making it complicated to assemble and increasing manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the two divided bodies into a single integrated gear structure where the web extends obliquely toward both sides in the axial direction as one continuous piece. This eliminates the need for fastening members and reduces the number of parts while maintaining the high rigidity achieved by the oblique web configuration.
2Strength
If the two divided bodies are coupled by a fastening member, then the gear web achieves high rigidity, but it is necessary to secure a part where the two members are overlapped making it difficult to reduce the weight
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the two divided bodies into one integrated structure, the patent eliminates the overlapping region required for fastening members. The single-piece web design extends obliquely without requiring additional overlap space, thereby reducing the overall weight of the gear while maintaining structural rigidity.
3Device complexity
If electron beam welding is used to couple the upper and lower divided bodies, then the fastening member can be omitted to simplify the structure and reduce the weight, but the structure still includes many parts and requires post-welding processes increasing manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts a one-piece integrated structure that eliminates the need for electron beam welding or any other joining processes. By forming the gear web as a single continuous piece extending obliquely from the hub to the rim, the design removes multiple parts and post-welding operations, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining structural simplicity and weight reduction.
4Device complexity
If the gear web is made as a single integrated structure, then the number of parts is reduced and manufacturing cost is lowered, but the rigidity may be insufficient compared to multi-part configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an oblique extension of the web in the axial direction, creating a three-dimensional configuration from a traditionally two-dimensional gear web. This oblique geometry provides structural rigidity comparable to multi-part configurations while maintaining the benefits of a single integrated structure, effectively using dimensional change to resolve the rigidity vs. simplicity contradiction.
Data Source
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AI summary
A gear (1) including: a hub (10) provided on an inner peripheral side and configured to be connected to a main shaft (8); a rim (14) provided on an outer peripheral side and formed with external teeth (12); and a gear web (16) connecting the hub (10) and the rim (14). The gear web (16) includes a first web (18) extending obliquely upward from the rim (14) to the hub (10); and a second web (20) extending obliquely downward from the rim (14) to the hub (10). The first web (18) includes a plurality of first web pieces (22) formed so as to be spaced apart in a circumferential direction, and the second web (20) includes a plurality of second web pieces (24) formed so as to be spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The first web pieces (20) and the second web pieces (24) are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction and are located at mutually different circumferential positions.