A method and disconnector for disconnecting a drive shaft of a drive mechanism from rotating equipment, upon a failure of the drive mechanism or rotating equipment, includes a housing, an arm extending from the housing and movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position, and a parting tool on a distal end of the arm.

A turbomachine casing assembly including an inner casing element for arrangement radially outward of a turbomachine fan; an outer casing element for arrangement radially further outward of the turbomachine fan; a retaining lip arranged radially inward of a portion of the inner casing element; and a separator extending between the inner and outer casing elements and arranged to urge a portion of the inner casing element against the lip. The separator is arranged in compression between the inner and outer casing elements to urge the portion of the inner casing element against the lip. The separator is arranged to engage a frangible region of the inner casing element such that the frangible region is configured to break in response to an impact satisfying predetermined conditions, allowing the inner casing element to displace radially outwards exposing features to improve retention of a released fan blade.

A mounting link between a gas turbine engine and a gearbox comprises a gearbox arm, a fusibly breakable bolt, and two engine attachment brackets. The gearbox arm attaches to the gearbox, and extends along an axis defining a first dimension between the gas turbine engine structure and the gearbox. The fusibly breakable bolt extends through the gearbox arm, and has a central shear section that mates with the gearbox arm. The engine attachment brackets have primary and secondary retention annuli, and attachment flanges that attach to the gas turbine engine structure. The primary retention annuli are each concentric to an outer section of the fusibly breakable bolt, and have a radius selected to tightly retain those outer sections in the first dimension. The secondary retention annuli are each concentric to a portion of the shear section, and have a larger radius to loosely retain the shear section.

A gearbox mounting link between a gas turbine engine structure and a gearbox mounting location comprises two engine attachment brackets secured to an engine structure, and attachment plate rotatably attached between the engine attachment brackets, and a secondary retention sleeve and fastener. The attachment plate includes a fusibly separable section configured to attach to the gearbox, a static section, and a shear necks connecting the statis section to the fusibly separable section. The secondary retention sleeve is supported by and secured to the static section. The secondary retention fastener is supported by the secondary retention sleeve, and is disposed through an oversized fastener passage through the fusibly separable section, thereby loosely retaining the fusibly separable section in at least one of the two degrees of freedom in the event of a load sufficient to break the shear necks, separating the fusible separable section from the static section.

A mounting link between an engine and a gearbox comprises an engine attachment piece, a gearbox attachment piece, and primary and secondary retention fasteners. The engine attachment piece is rotatably secured to the engine, and the gearbox attachment piece is rotatably secured to the gearbox. The primary retention fastener rigidly constrains the gearbox attachment piece with respect to the engine attachment piece in a single degree of freedom, but is configured to shear at a breakpoint load. The secondary retention fastener constrains the gearbox attachment piece loosely with respect to the engine attachment piece, and can withstand the breakpoint load. The gearbox attachment piece and engine attachment piece abut in a friction fit that provides Coulomb damping.

A gearbox mounting link between a gas turbine engine structure and a gearbox mounting location comprises an engine attachment piece rotatably secured to the gas turbine engine structure. The engine attachment piece comprises first and second plates extending in parallel planes and separated by a gap having a gap width. A gearbox attachment piece is situated between the parallel plates, and is secured to the gearbox. A breakable primary retention fastener extends snugly through the parallel plates and the gearbox attachment piece, thereby rigidly retaining the gearbox with respect to the gas turbine engine in two degrees of freedom so long as the breakable primary retention fastener remains intact. A durable secondary retention fastener extending snugly through the parallel plates, and extends with clearance through the gearbox attachment piece via an oversized fastener passage, thereby constraining the gearbox attachment piece in the event that the breakable primary retention fastener breaks.

A turbine engine including a fan shaft driven by a turbine shaft with a rotational speed reduction device. A decoupling element is interposed between the reduction device and the fan shaft which operates to decouple the reduction device and the fan shaft. The reduction device is coupled to the fan shaft by a coupling having trapezoidal teeth of the curvic type which are used during the said decoupling operation. The decoupling element is configured to decouple the reduction device and the fan shaft in response to a predetermined resistive torque, referred to as the decoupling torque, which acts between the fan shaft and the reduction device.

A mechanical decoupler (15) at the inlet to a turbomachine is positioned on the outside of an intake casing, where radiating arms (27) meet an external casing (13) so as to partially unload a low-pressure shaft when a significant out-of-balance appears. Because it is positioned a long way from the bearing, the decoupler (15) can be designed with a greater degree of freedom at a location where there is more space available and where layout constraints are less of an issue. More specifically, it is housed in a cavity (30) of the external casing (13) which opens onto the flow path (5).

A method and decoupler for disengaging an output member from an engine in a back drive event with a backdrive decoupler. The backdrive decoupler includes a shaft and a retention mechanism selectively coupling the output member to the shaft. In a backdrive event, the decoupler decouples the member from a drive shaft.

A method and decoupler for disengaging an output shaft from an engine in a back drive event with a backdrive decoupler. The backdrive decoupler includes an output shaft, drive shaft wherein the output shaft is selectively coupled to the drive shaft. Permanent magnets are used to transmit torque from the drive shaft to the output shaft. In a backdrive event, the decoupler decouples the output shaft from the drive shaft by uncoupling the torque transfer.