Phasing of Turbine Engine Gearbox

The angle at which the gears of a turbine engine are staggered can be manipulated to neutralize harmonic excitations produced by the engine.

The Need

The aviation industry is responsible for transporting over 4.5 billion people through 16 million flights in one year. Turbine engines contain a turbofan which has internal gears that are responsible for the internal vibrations an engine can experience. This harmonic excitation is responsible for the overall long-term health of the engine, noise levels passengers experience, and limitations of cargo allocation. There is a need to minimize these vibrations

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. Ahmet Kahraman, have developed novel phasing conditions for a PW gearbox for a turbine engine. Incorporating a double helix mesh between planetary gear sets. Placing the correct right-to-left stagger angle between meshes, it minimizes the harmonic component of the excitation and allowing a designer to adjust and optimize this parameter for a result of reducing the vibration excitations.

Commerical Applications

  • Airplanes
  • Ships
  • Generators

Benefits/Advantages

  • Reduce the vibrations the engine generates
  • Increase long-term usability of the engine
  • Decrease the sound the engine outputs

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