GB706070A - Improvements in or relating to gas turbine propelling units for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

706,070. Gas turbine plant. FIAT SOC. PER AZIONI. Jan. 30, 1952 [Feb. 3, 1951], No. 2533/52. Class 110 (3). [Also in Group XXXI] A gas turbine propulsion unit for a motor vehicle comprises a vehicle axle, a power turbine having a power shaft, a combustion air compressor having its driving turbine coaxial with the power turbine, a speed reduction gearing coupled to the power shaft between the compressor and its turbine, a differential gear coupled to the reduction gearing, and a casing enclosing the shafts, the reduction gearing and the diflerential gear, the axis of the turbines and compressor being perpendicular to a vertical plane containing the vehicle axle. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the gas turbine comprises three combustion chambers 2 leading to the turbine 7 driving the compressor 4, the power turbine 8 and an exhaust 3, the compressor 4 drawing air in through inlets 5. The turbines 7, 8 drive concentric shafts 9, 10, the shaft 9 ending in a housing 11, to a partition 11' of which is secured the shaft 12 of the compressor 4. The shaft 10 drives a toothed shaft 13 carried in the housing 11 and driving a sleeve 14 surrounding the shaft 12 and rotatably mounted in the casing 1. The sleeve 14 is connected to the shaft 12 by a free wheel device 15 so that the compressor is driven by the power turbine 8 when the speed of the sleeve 14 exceeds that of the shaft 12. The sleeve 14 carries a gear 16 meshing with a gear 17 to form the reduction gearing, the gear 17 being integral with a gear 18, and the gears 17, 18 being rotatably mounted on a shaft 19 which carries a bevel pinion 25 meshing with the crown wheel of the differential gear 26. The gear 18 meshes with a gear 21 on a lay shaft 20 having a gear 23 rotatably mounted on the shaft 19. The shaft 19 carries an axially slidable clutch sleeve 24 to enable the shaft 19 to be driven at a low or high speed. The shaft 19 also carries a gear 30 which meshes with a gear 32 with the interposition of an idler gear 31, the gear 32 being carried by a shaft universally jointed to a shaft 33 which drives another differential gear (not shown) for another vehicle axle. The output shafts of the differential gear 26 carry universal joints 29 connected to shafts 27, 28 universally jointed at 29' to the wheels. In a modification, Fig. 5, the free wheel device 15 is provided between the shafts 9, 10, the shaft 9 carrying a gear 39 meshing with gears 37 on three shafts 34 (only one of which is shown) rotatably mounted and carrying gears 36 meshing with a gear 38 on the shaft 12 and the shaft 10 carrying the gear 16 meshing with the gear 17.