Planet Carrier Stiffening Structure for Gear Housing Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Epicyclical gear systems in gas turbine engines face challenges in maintaining alignment and load distribution due to relative movement between components, leading to misalignment, uneven wear, and potential system failure, especially in dynamic applications like geared turbofan engines.
Innovation Solution
A planet gear housing assembly is designed with a stiffening member positioned between the forward and aft planet carrier assemblies, which includes annular bodies and radial flanges to enhance torsional stiffness, ensuring proper alignment and load distribution by coupling the aft planet carrier assembly to the engine casing and the forward planet carrier assembly to the aft planet carrier assembly, achieving a desired stiffness ratio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the forward planet carrier assembly is coupled to the aft planet carrier assembly without a stiffening member, then the device complexity is reduced, but the forward torsional stiffness is insufficient leading to misalignment and uneven wear
Solution Approach 1:
The planet carrier assembly is divided into forward and aft segments that are coupled together, with the stiffening member providing targeted reinforcement only where needed in the forward section, rather than making the entire structure uniformly complex
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening member acts as an intermediary component between the forward and aft planet carrier assemblies, providing the necessary torsional stiffness through its annular body and radial flanges without requiring complete structural integration
2Manufacturing precision
If the forward torsional stiffness is increased to reduce misalignment, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the stiffening member
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening member provides localized reinforcement with its annular body and radial flanges positioned specifically in the forward planet carrier assembly, increasing torsional stiffness only where needed rather than throughout the entire structure
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening member utilizes the radial dimension with its flanges extending outward, creating a three-dimensional structure that enhances torsional stiffness through spatial distribution of material rather than simply increasing wall thickness
Data Source
AI summary
A planet gear housing assembly is disclosed in an epicyclical gear system of a gas turbine engine having an engine casing. The planet gear housing assembly comprises an aft planet carrier assembly, a forward planet carrier assembly, and a plurality of planet gears. An aft flange of the aft planet carrier assembly is coupled to the engine casing to define a first torsional stiffness. A forward flange of the forward planet carrier assembly is coupled to the aft flange to define a second torsional stiffness. The second torsional stiffness may be between 60% and 80% of the first torsional stiffness. The planet gear housing assembly may further comprise a stiffening member positioned between the forward planet carrier assembly and the aft planet carrier assembly.