Geared TurbofanTM Engine: Driven by Innovation

William Sheridan, Michael McCune, and Michael Winter

Pratt & Whitney, Division of UTC, East Hartford, CT, USA

property behind these new and novel features. Finally, this

1 Introduction 1 chapter will cover the development and validation testing
2 Fan Drive Gear System (FDGS): Historical that ensured the FDGS met its goals. P&W made a signif-
Development 1 icant investment in rig and engine tests to verify that all
safety, certification, and reliability milestones were achieved
3 Design Features and Innovation 2
as planned.
4 FDGS Validation and Certification 5
5 Conclusion 6
References 6 2 FAN DRIVE GEAR SYSTEM (FDGS):
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

During the fuel crisis of the 1970s, the aerospace industry

1 INTRODUCTION started to work on open rotor engines to improve aircraft
efficiency. This resulted in engine and flight test programs
This chapter will cover the historical development of the fan
of open rotor Prop-Fan designs in the 1980s, as shown in
drive gear system (FDGS) from the late 1980s to present.
Figure 1. These test programs highlighted the problems of
There were several different product lines envisioned before
open rotor designs, which included noise, blade containment,
Pratt & Whitney (P&W) decided to launch the PW1000G
and the capability of the high-power gear drive system. Fol-
PurePower r
engine family. As with any product that is classi-
lowing the Prop-Fan program, P&W undertook a 2-year study
fied as “Green,” it must also deliver superior economic value
of worldwide aerospace gear experience. The results of that
to the customer above and beyond its favorable impact to
study highlighted the areas of improvement required to pro-
the environment. The combination of lower operating costs,
duce a gear system for a GTF engine. These included control
high reliability, low noise, and outstanding fuel efficiency
of gear alignment, high load capacity bearings, and overall
make the product attractive to the customer. A description of
system efficiency.
each of the key design and development features will also be
As engine fan bypass ratio (BPR) increases, the required
covered. Like all new products, these features are heavily pro-
gear reduction ratio also increases. This is explained in greater
tected by patents—a handful of which are cited in this chapter.
detail in Section 3. Lower gear ratios typically utilize a Star
It cannot be overstated that a significant amount of innova-
system, and as the BPR continues to increase, the design often
tion was needed to meet the aggressive goals of the program
migrates to a Planet design. During the 1990s, P&W designed
and P&W has invested broadly in protecting the intellectual
and tested multiple configuration concepts of both Star and
Planetary gear systems. The design studies for the Advanced
Ducted Prop (ADP) and Flight Weight Gear Design evaluated
system isolation features and fluid film journal bearings. Jour-
nals were selected due to their ability to carry very high loads

Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Online © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article is © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article was published in the Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering in 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae1018
2 Propulsion and Power
Figure 1. Development history of high power gear systems at Pratt & Whitney.
in a compact size. Journal bearings also have the advantage of
infinite life provided that they are supplied with an adequate
oil film. Prior to expanding the technology level, P&W relied
on the extensive journal bearing experience of the PT6 engine
family that uses bearings that are much smaller in size and
not as heavily loaded. By the end of the program, a journal
bearing design was developed that could increase the bear-
ing capability beyond PT6 experience and also at reduced
oil flow rates. System efficiency drivers were also evaluated.
Multiple rigs were built to define an optimum method of
lubricating gears while managing the effects of windage and
churning within the gearbox. Through full-scale testing, a
lubrication system was developed that produces maximum
efficiency based on horsepower and altitude. The final sys-
tem configuration was proven in the GTF Demo program
from 2007 to 2008 where a flight-tested system matched the
performance of rig test results. This test program validated
the gear isolation concept during aircraft maneuvers and also
system efficiency greater than predicted goals.
3 DESIGN FEATURES AND INNOVATION
3.1 Fundamental Gear Design and Reduction
Ratio Selection
The first step in determining the gear design is to select a
gear ratio that marries the desired fan speed with the desired
Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Online © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article is © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article was published in the Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering in 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae1018
low turbine speed. P&W patented this process ( Sheridan and
Hasel, 2014a, 2014b), which covers all the ranges of possible
gear ratios and how they interact with the turbine and fan. In
P&W’s experience, a BPR greater than 12:1 can be optimized
to run at a tip speed below 350 m s−1 (1150 ft s−1 ) and a fan
pressure ratio less than 1.45. At the same time, the low turbine
can be designed to minimize the number of stages (typically
three or four) and held within proprietary limits of AN2 (exit
area multiplied by speed squared). Figure 2 shows an exam-
ple of typical geared turbofan (GTF) engine architecture and
Figure 3 shows two possible ways of achieving the desired
gear ratio using a Star system and a Planetary gear system.
The gear arrangements in Figure 3 are referred to as epicyclic
systems. Input torque from the low turbine shaft drives the
sun gear in both configurations. The sun gear then drives an
intermediate gear (star or planet), which then engages a ring
gear. When the carrier is fixed in a Star system, the star gears
drive a ring gear which in turn drives the fan shaft. The star
arrangement is best suited for reduction ratios between 1.5
and 3.0 and also when counterrotation is desired between the
fan and the low turbine. The Planetary system utilizes a fixed
ring gear and allows the carrier to rotate the fan shaft. The
Planet system is best suited for higher reduction ratios from
3.0 to 5.0 and when it is desired to have the fan and low tur-
bine corotate. Sheridan and Hasel (2014a, 2014b) describe
the mathematical relationships between the different com-
ponents. The PW1000G family of engines selected the Star

Figure 2. Geared turbofan engine basic architecture.
system because the gear ratio for these engines fell within
the desired range and the counterrotation effects of the fan
and the low turbine were aerodynamically favorable to the
turbo-machinery configuration of each application.
3.2 Achieving Efficiency
One of the biggest challenges for designing a geared turbo-
fan of this size was managing the additional amount of heat
rejected from the FDGS. Neglecting this important param-
eter can lead to an excessively large thermal management
system and great difficulty in packaging heat exchangers and
other cooling system components within the engine nacelle.
The key to minimizing heat loss in the gear system was the
introduction of a unique baffle and gutter system that allows
oil to be delivered to the gears and bearings for lubrication
Figure 3. Fundamental arrangements for epicyclic gear systems.
Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Online © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article is © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article was published in the Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering in 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae1018
Geared TurbofanTM Engine: Driven by Innovation 3
Figure 4. Schematic of efficient oil baffle and gutter operation.
while also allowing it to be carried away without any churn-
ing losses. Oddly enough, the largest amount of heat is not
created by friction between the gears and bearings, but by
churning excess oil as it makes its way back to the scavenge
pump. Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of the baf-
fle and gutter system. Oil is introduced at the sun/star mesh
for lubrication and is carried away by the baffle until it is
led out of the rotating ring gear to a static gutter that sur-
rounds the gear system. Once in the gutter, the oil will be
directed effectively to the scavenge system. The innovative
aspects of this system are the subject of numerous patents
and applications, including those found in Sheridan (2001,
2013), Sheridan and McCune (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014), and
Sheridan et al. (2014).
4 Propulsion and Power
3.3 Achieving Reliability by Flexibly Mounting
Gears and Bearings
To achieve the reliability goals of the program, the FDGS had
to stay on wing without any maintenance for up to 30,000
flight hours. P&W spent a good deal of time studying pre-
vious geared turbofan engines and looked at the root cause
of why gears and bearings failed. In nearly all cases, the
root cause was not due to undersizing the components, but
by additional loading induced into the gears and bearings
through misalignment of the surrounding engine structure.
To achieve the desired life, P&W needed to isolate the gear
system from the surrounding engine cases and deflections.
Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of the Star gear
system, in which the ring gear is rigidly mounted on the
fan shaft. The fan shaft is then mounted on a rigid set of
bearings that allow the entire assembly to rotate the fan hub
and blades along a defined centerline. This rigid rotating
assembly needed to be isolated. As shown in the figure, the
carrier that holds the star gears is flexibly mounted to ground
so that it can follow the motions imparted to it through the
ring gear. Likewise, the sun gear must follow the stars, so
it is also flexibly mounted on the input shaft from the low
turbine. Too much flexibility can be as bad as too little; there-
fore, the carrier has a stop mechanism so that in extreme
maneuvers, or in limiting safety conditions, the gear system
will be firmly supported by a redundant path to ground. This
prevents overstress of the flexible couplings under transient
conditions, but allows full flexibility during normal operation.
Details of this construction are best described in Sheridan and
Pagluica (1995), Sheridan, McCune, and Pescosolido (2013),
Figure 5. Load isolation system for the FDGS.
Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Online © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article is © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae1018
and McCune and Husband (2012). The aforementioned cou-
plings allow the entire gear assembly to flex and move with
reduced loading on a macroscale. Load sharing between the
sun and star gears due to misalignment from manufactur-
ing position and spacing errors was also required, so P&W
developed a flexible journal bearing that facilitates load shar-
ing between the gears. This type of bearing is best described
in McCune (2014) and has isolating mount points that allow
the bearing to move laterally and vertically without disrupting
the oil film between the bearing and the gear.
3.4 Development of a Unique Lubrication Scheme
for the FDGS
The FDGS was designed with journal bearings based on
P&W’s long history of good experience with the PT6 engine
and because the architecture of the GTF engine needed
extremely high load capacity in a very small package. If prop-
erly lubricated, journal bearings can have infinite life as all
metal surfaces ride on a relatively thin film of oil. To pre-
vent wear and distress of the journal surfaces, P&W had to
develop a unique lubrication system that protects the jour-
nals under all circumstances. Beyond normal operation, the
journals need protection under negative G flight conditions,
flight windmill, ground windmill, and any other circumstance
that could interrupt oil flow to these bearings. Figure 6 shows
the FDGS surrounded by the static gutter as previously men-
tioned. It also shows a windmill pump that is geared to the
fan rotor such that whenever the fan is turning, the windmill
pump is capable of supplying oil to the journals without the

Figure 6. Unique FDGS lubrication system.
need for manual interaction or electronic engine monitoring.
Any scavenge oil that enters the gutter is directed to an inter-
nal auxiliary storage tank with a spill over tube that allows
excess oil to fall to the sump. During any abnormal condition
such as negative G or ground windmill, the pump will draw
oil from either the sump or the auxiliary storage tank to feed
the journals. The compartment also has the main scavenge
Figure 7. FDGS test facility, 35 degree pitch up.
Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Online © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article is © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article was published in the Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering in 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae1018
Geared TurbofanTM Engine: Driven by Innovation 5
pump working in tandem so that all oil in this compartment
is sent to the tank for reuse in the normal oil circuit. Oil sent
to the tank goes through the typical cooling and filtration pro-
cess needed for reuse, over and over again. If low pressure
is sensed during operation, the main oil circuit is bypassed
so that the windmill pump sends oil directly to the journals
rather than dumping it back to the oil tank. When the engine is
shut down, this valve is set to fail-safe in a position that allows
direct oil delivery to the journals; so unmonitored ground or
flight windmill needs no manual interaction. Parnin (2012)
and McCune and James (2014) address some of the aspects
of this innovative lubrication system.
4 FDGS VALIDATION AND
CERTIFICATION
Validation of the gear system design prior to engine certifica-
tion required a unique testing facility (Figure 7). Thus, P&W
built a test facility that replicates the impact upon the FDGS
of maximum engine thrust conditions for extended periods
of time, well beyond that experienced during a typical flight
cycle. The lubrication schedule was also developed within
this facility to optimize efficiency through the flight cycle.
6 Propulsion and Power
Figure 8. Gearbox flight envelope.
During validation, the gear system had to be evaluated
throughout the flight envelope, as seen in Figure 8. During
takeoff, the system accelerates in both torque and speed to
its maximum power design point. Then in the climb phase
of flight, the speed is relatively constant but system torque
continues to fall until it reaches about 35% of the design
torque during cruise. In the flight descent phase, torque can
drop as low as 15% of design while still having a high shaft
speed. This design characteristic requires the demonstration
of dynamic stability across a broad range of conditions. Once
the dynamic stability of the design was demonstrated, an
accelerated endurance test was performed that demonstrated
a full overhaul interval of maximum power takeoffs in a
compressed time frame. This number of takeoffs produces
well over 10E8 bending fatigue cycles in the gear teeth, thus
passing the material endurance limit.
After completing dynamics, fatigue, and efficiency test-
ing, the next stage of validation was to understand the system
design margins and failure modes. In this stage, the system
was tested for variations in oil flow and supply temperature
to understand when damage starts and at what rate of pro-
gression. Additional margin tests included overtorque, rotor
imbalance, oil aeration, and debris ingestion. While all these
tests were performed, gear stresses, vibration, and temper-
ature were recorded. During the engine validation phase,
these values were compared with data from actual engine
tests confirming that the rig test facility accurately duplicated
conditions from the engine.
In parallel with the full system rig, several subcomponent
rigs were also used. These consisted of evaluating the low
cycle fatigue (LCF) and high cycle fatigue (HCF) capability
of the flexible couplings. Journal bearing rigs were also used
to validate the load capacity and temperature capability mar-
Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Online © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article is © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article was published in the Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering in 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae1018
gins of the design. The combination of subcomponent and
full-scale testing ensured that the engine was ready for a full
certification program.
5 CONCLUSION
Certification for the first of P&W’s PurePower r
family of
engines has enabled the most significant improvement in
both noise and fuel burn of the aviation industry in the last
20 years. The heart of these new engines is based on an
FDGS design that significantly improves the life, durabil-
ity, and efficiency of aero gearboxes. The FDGS relies on
innovative features for flexible mounting, journal bearing
design, and lubrication systems that require no additional
maintenance, inspections, or care than other components
in the cold section of the engine. P&W’s GTF engines
have accomplished these goals with a greatly reduced airfoil
count (due to the high-speed low-pressure turbine), thereby
enabling the overall maintenance cost of the engine to be
significantly reduced. The FDGS is not just another gear
design, but rather a noteworthy gear challenge that was
met by P&W through extraordinary efforts in design, man-
ufacturing, and testing to the benefit of all turbine engine
operators today. This last statement is best exemplified by a
quotation from John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer
Customers:
“The A320neo Family keeps getting better as we are con-
tinuously innovating both in cabin productivity and engine
efficiency to stay ahead of the game,” said John Leahy, Airbus
Chief Operating Officer Customers. “The NEO will deliver a
15% fuel burn savings from day one in 2015 and we will go
up to 20% by 2020, ensuring the A320 maintains its position
as the leading next generation single-aisle aircraft family.”
(taken from www.airbus.com, press release September 23,
2014)
REFERENCES
McCune, M.E. (2014) Journal pin oil supply for a gear system. US
Patent 8,690,721 (issued April 8, 2014).
McCune, M.E. and Husband, J. (2012) Flexible support structure
for a geared architecture gas turbine engine. US Patent 8,297,917
(issued October 30, 2012).
McCune, M.E. and James, D.H. (2014) Turbo-machine fluid deliv-
ery system. US Patent Application 2014/000721A1 (issued
January 2, 2014).
Parnin, F. (2012) Windmill and zero gravity lubrication system for
a gas turbine engine. US Patent 8,230,974 (issued July 31, 2012).

Sheridan, W.G. (2001) Star gear system with lubrication circuit. US
Patent 6,223,616, (issued May 1, 2001).
Sheridan, W.G. (2013) Fundamental gear system architecture. US
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Sheridan, W.G. and McCune, M.E. (2010) Oil baffle for a gas turbine
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Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Online © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article is © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This article was published in the Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering in 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae1018
Geared TurbofanTM Engine: Driven by Innovation 7
Sheridan, W.G. and McCune, M.E. (2012) Method for assembling
an epicyclic gear train, US Patent 8,276,275, (issued October 2,
2012).
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