1120. A Method for Estimating the Weight of Aircraft Transmissions
$20.00
SAWE Members get a $200 store credit each year.*
*Store credit coupon available at checkout, click the button in your shopping cart to apply the coupon.
Not applicable to SAWE textbooks and current conference technical papers.
Paper
Abstract
In the design phase of vertical take-off aircraft, it is necessary to estimate the weight of the transmissions in the drive system as accurately as possible since it comprises a significant portion of the total aircraft weight. The method of determining transmission weight presented in this paper, is based on the size of the gears in the transmission. The gear size is not used directly to derive the weight, instead, the more easily obtained values of surface compressive stress index, design horsepower, and gearbox input speed are used along with various other factors for special features, etc. Also included are the weight effects of; bearing supports, output shaft, combining stages of gearing and special features such as clutches. The use of graphs enables the rapid selection of the factors needed for the application of this weight determination method. The means for deriving the weight of accessory gearboxes is also presented, along with several examples of the application of the weight estimating method for typical gearboxes. Diagrams and sketches depicting some of the basic gear facts and some of the various types of gearboxes used in aircraft are presented as an aid in this weight determination method. A plot of the statistical accuracy of this method is also presented.
