Patent ID: 8858388
Filing Date: 2014-10-14
Classification: F01D,F02C,F02K,F05D,F16H

Abstract:
1. A gear apparatus, comprising: an epicyclic gear train including a carrier supporting star gears that mesh with a sun gear, and a ring gear surrounding and meshing with the star gears, the star gears being supported on respective journal bearings, each of the journal bearings including a peripheral journal surface and each of the star gears including a radially inner journal surface in contact with the peripheral journal surface of the respective journal bearing, wherein the epicyclic gear train has a gear reduction ratio of greater than or equal to about 2.3, the ring gear including an inner periphery with teeth, an outer circumferential surface opposite the teeth and a flange projecting radially outwards from the outer circumferential surface, the flange including at least one lubricant passage opening at the inner periphery and at a radially outer tip of the flange, the ring gear also including a forward portion and an aft portion that meet at an interface extending radially through the flange, the forward portion and the aft portion defining an annular cavity along the interface, the annular cavity interrupting the at least one lubricant passage.