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"Gearbox" may not be a word that inspires a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings among airlineoperations people but the folks at Pratt & Whitney feel pretty good about it these days. They're not just comfortable with the concept; they're extremely confident.
After 10 years of development, this gearbox, says Michael E. McCune, gear systems chiefmechanical components, is so well-designed and tested that it will require no regular maintenance before the engine is due for a cold-section overhaul. Then, it will be pulled and overhauled with the rest of the engine. Mean time between unscheduled removals will be greater than 30,000 hr., he adds.
Several advances from Pratt and design partner Fiat Avio allow this longevity, McCune says, including three patented processes covering manufacturing, metallurgy and bearing design.
Between the star gears and the journal pins that the star gears...