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Technology
New technology being used Low Cost Miniature Turboprop Engine.
The proposed innovation is a Sidewinder configuration Miniature Turboprop Engine (MTE). It utilizes a highly-developed gas producer, with a fine lineage of previously successful SWB Turbines turbojet engines (since 1987), SWB’s U.S. Patents (granted 1998), and low-cost production potential (because it’s rotating components are derived from the commercial turbocharger/vehicle industry). SWB Turbines has proven that it’s customers, including the Army, could benefit from the well-developed turbocharger turbine and compressor component base. The U.S. and other major countries have cultivated a major dependence on truck transportation, transitioning from trains, with increasing dependence on turbocharged diesel power plants. This is the backbone of the U.S. Transportation System. Turbocharged diesel engines have become the standard through a wide range of horsepower, resulting in very high savings leverage for miniature turbines, select super alloys and advanced rotor aerodynamic performance.
Commercialization Efforts/Market Opportunities
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Continental RPV’s Barstow, CA U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Target
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Miniature Aircraft USA Orlando, FL Miniature Military VSTOL Aircraft
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P.A.M. Group Williamsburg, VA Small reusable, rotor-driven unmanned air vehicles(UAV)
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Millennium Jet, Inc. Santa Clara, CA Solotrek Exo-Skeletor Flying Vehicle (XFV)
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Use exhaust from a gas producer to power a free turbine.
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Free turbine rotational speeds are reduced through a gearbox to produce useable rotational speeds for driving a propeller. ratio: 14.344:1, output rpm: 4,043
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The epicyclic planetary gears were integrated with the gear carrier assembly in the base of the propeller shaft. All related parts needed to be polished and deburred prior to fitting. The assembly is shown below, with bearings. The bearings used are class 9 precision bearings whose press requirements required the use of a boring head on a manual mill with tolerances of –0, +0.0001, per bearing manufacturer. The manual mill was used because its table can be locked exactly in position without the slop, although minimal, that exists in CNC mill tables. |
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