Abstract: An output shaft air/oil separator system comprises an outer housing, an oil passage, a spline shaft having a cavity formed therein that communicates with the oil passage, an output shaft disposed at least partially within the spline shaft cavity that has a first section spaced apart from an inner surface of the spline shaft to form a gap therebetween in communication with the spline shaft cavity and a second section contacting at least a portion of the spline shaft inner surface, a housing cavity defined by at least a portion of an outer surface of the spline shaft and the outer housing, an annular groove formed in the spline shaft communicating with the spline shaft cavity, and at least one port extending between the spline shaft inner and outer surfaces in communication with the annular groove and the housing cavity.

Abstract: A low leakage seal for separating two environments and contacting a component surface is provided. The seal includes a base and an annular rib. The annular rib is coupled to and extends from the base. The annular rib includes at least one contact surface configured to contact the component surface having a plurality of angularly cut radial grooves formed therein. The annular rib flexes and pressure energizes in the presence of a pressure differential between the two environments.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for providing a visual indication of oil pressure comprising: a housing defining an exterior and an interior region wherein the interior region defines a sealing surface of the housing, the housing further defining an inlet providing fluid communication between the interior region of the housing and the exterior of the housing; a piston moveably disposed within the interior region of the housing so as to slide between a pressurized position and a depressurized position; a piston face defined by the piston wherein the piston face receives oil pressure admitted through the inlet and into the interior region of the housing; at least one low friction seal disposed on the piston so as to provide a sealing engagement between the piston and the sealing surface of the interior region of the housing; a visual indicator connected to the piston so that the visual indicator displays a visual indication of oil pressure when the piston is in the pressurized position; and a spring

Abstract: The present invention provides a lubrication system for supplying lubricant between a first housing and a second housing, where the first and second housings each comprising air and lubricant. In one exemplary embodiment, the system includes a lubricant supply tube, an output shaft, and a seal assembly. The lubricant supply tube extends at least partially through the second housing and is configured to receive a supply of lubricant from the first housing. The output shaft is rotationally mounted within the second housing. The seal assembly is mounted on the output shaft and disposed within the second housing. The seal assembly is configured to pump at least a portion of the air out of the second housing.

Abstract: A low leakage seal for separating two environments and contacting a component surface is provided. The seal includes a base and an annular rib. The annular rib is coupled to and extends from the base. The annular rib includes at least one contact surface configured to contact the component surface having a plurality of angularly cut radial grooves formed therein. The annular rib flexes and pressure energizes in the presence of a pressure differential between the two environments.

Abstract: A stator seal assembly is provided that includes a seal case, an O-ring and a stator ring. The seal case has an inner peripheral wall, an outer peripheral wall, and an annular cavity formed therebetween. The O-ring is coupled to the seal case inner peripheral wall and disposed in the annular cavity, and is constructed of a material having stress versus strain ratio of less than about 5 ksi and a Shore M value of between about 30 and 50. The stator ring is disposed within the seal case annular cavity.

Abstract: An air turbine starter (ATS) configured to couple to a gearbox, the ATS including an output shaft having an outer peripheral surface, a gearbox section, and an ATS section, the gearbox section configured to be disposed within, and coupled to, the gearbox and the ATS section configured to be disposed within the ATS, and a shield plate extending radially from the outer peripheral surface and coupled to the ATS section of the output shaft.

Abstract: A low leakage seal for separating two environments and contacting a component surface is provided. The seal includes a base and an annular rib. The annular rib is coupled to and extends from the base. The annular rib includes at least one contact surface configured to contact the component surface having a plurality of angularly cut radial grooves formed therein. The annular rib flexes and pressure energizes in the presence of a pressure differential between the two environments.

Abstract: A method for making aerospace face seal rotors reinforced by rhenium metal, alloy, or composite in combination with silicon carbide or other ceramic. The resulting rotor also is disclosed. Ceramic grains, preferably silicon carbide (SiC), are mixed with powdered metallic (PM) binder that may be based on a refractory metal, preferably rhenium. The mixture is applied to a rotor substrate. The combined ceramic-metal powder mixture is heated to sintering temperature under pressure to enable fusion of the ceramic in the resulting metal-based substrate. A load may then be applied under an elevated temperature. The resulting coated rotor can exhibit high hot hardness, increased durability and/or high hot wear resistance, as well as high thermal conductivity.

Abstract: A fluid-cooled seal rotor is described for a seal assembly that includes a seal case, a seal stator, and wherein the rotor has a sealing face on a first side and a heat-transfer structure on a second side. The heat-transfer structure may be a roughened surface. The heat-transfer structure may have protrusions which may be fins, including fins with roughened surfaces. The heat-transfer structure may have additional heat-transfer structures thereon to create complex, including fractal, structures. The fins may be shaped as impellers to move oil over the heat-transfer structure. Channels between fins may have a width greater than twice the boundary layer thickness for the fluid engaged by the fins. The fluid-cooled rotor, the seal assembly having the fluid-cooled rotor, an air turbine starter having the seal assembly, air turbine starters and other machines with rotating shafts using the seal are within the scope of the invention.

Abstract: A ceramic ball bearing assembly has raceway components generally held in residual compression by accompanying metal attachments. In a ceramic ball bearing assembly, an outer raceway is formed that is held in compression by a circumscribing steel ring. The components may be fitted together with the ceramic raceway subject to thermal contraction while the steel ring is subject to thermal expansion. Upon mating, the ceramic raceway slightly expands while the steel ring slightly contracts to impose residual compression upon the ceramic raceway. The residual compression preserves the ceramic raceway despite thermal or other stresses of operating environment. An inner ceramic raceway is constructed by employing one of several of the herein described methods, and the ceramic ball bearing assembly of the present invention may use balls, needles, cylinders, or other rolling elements in order to achieve smooth angular translation between the inner and outer ceramic raceways.

Abstract: One or more stator seal assemblies are mounted in the housing of a rotating machine such as, for example, an air turbine starter for a gas turbine engine, and surround a rotating shaft. The seal assemblies each include a seal case and a seal. The seal has a face that engages an axial face of a face seal rotor to form a seal. One or more anti-rotation tabs in the seal case engage anti-rotation notches formed in the peripheral surface of the seal. The anti-rotation notches each include substantially arcuate sections formed in notch end surfaces. The arcuate sections increase the amount of wear in the notches that can be tolerated before a potential seal lock-up, thus increasing seal assembly lifetime.

Abstract: One or more stator seal assemblies are mounted in the housing of a rotating machine such as, for example, an air turbine starter for a gas turbine engine, and surround a rotating shaft. The seal assemblies each include a seal case and a seal. The seal has a face that engages an axial face of a face seal rotor to form a seal. One or more anti-rotation tabs in the seal case engage anti-rotation notches formed in the peripheral surface of the seal. The anti-rotation notches each include substantially arcuate sections formed in notch end surfaces. The arcuate sections increase the amount of wear in the notches that can be tolerated before a potential seal lock-up, thus increasing seal assembly lifetime.

Abstract: A ceramic ball bearing assembly (20) has raceway components generally held in residual compression by accompanying metal attachments. In a ceramic ball bearing assembly (20), an outer raceway (22) is formed that is held in compression by a circumscribing steel ring. The components may be fitted together with the ceramic raceway subject to thermal contraction while the steel ring is subject to thermal expansion. Upon mating, the ceramic raceway (22) slightly expands while the steel ring slightly contracts to impose residual compression upon the ceramic raceway. The residual compression preserves the ceramic raceway despite thermal or other stresses of operating environment. An inner ceramic raceway (24) is constructed by employing one of several of the herein described methods, and the ceramic ball bearing assembly of the present invention may use balls (26), needles, cylinders, or other rolling elements in order to achieve smooth angular translation between the inner and outer ceramic raceways.

Abstract: A ceramic ball bearing assembly has raceway components generally held in residual compression by accompanying metal attachments. In a ceramic ball bearing assembly, an outer raceway is formed that is held in compression by a circumscribing steel ring. The components may be fitted together with the ceramic raceway subject to thermal contraction while the steel ring is subject to thermal expansion. Upon mating, the ceramic raceway slightly expands while the steel ring slightly contracts to impose residual compression upon the ceramic raceway. The residual compression preserves the ceramic raceway despite thermal or other stresses of operating environment. An inner ceramic raceway is constructed by employing one of several of the herein described methods, and the ceramic ball bearing assembly of the present invention may use balls, needles, cylinders, or other rolling elements in order to achieve smooth angular translation between the inner and outer ceramic raceways.

Abstract: A ceramic ball bearing assembly (20) has raceway components generally held in residual compression by accompanying metal attachments. In a ceramic ball bearing assembly (20), an outer raceway (22) is formed that is held in compression by a circumscribing steel ring. The components may be fitted together with the ceramic raceway subject to thermal contraction while the steel ring is subject to thermal expansion. Upon mating, the ceramic raceway (22) slightly expands while the steel ring slightly contracts to impose residual compression upon the ceramic raceway. The residual compression preserves the ceramic raceway despite thermal or other stresses of operating environment. An inner ceramic raceway (24) is constructed by employing one of several of the herein described methods, and the ceramic ball bearing assembly of the present invention may use balls (26), needles, cylinders, or other rolling elements to in order to achieve smooth angular translation between the inner and outer ceramic raceways.