Paul,
IMHO a mistake of any gear box design is the omission of a
damper. If you don't run one between the shaft and the gear box,
you at
least need a harmonic balancer style one to help kill the resonance.

Everyone also has the wrong idea on lubrication. All gear boxes should
have
their own lube system and use a synthetic gear lube.... like the shell
aircraft turbine gear box lube. Turbo prop engine gear boxes have used
it
for many years.... using engine oil in the gear box is a mistake IMHO.

Larry

 Larry,
 I have the same thoughts and am pleased someone with the experience
 confirms
 it.
 George (down under)


George,
couple of reasons for the way I think.....
1. I don't want cross contamination from engine to gear box or gear
box to
engine
2. The gear box lubricants are designed as such and do a far better
job on
gears and roller bearings.
3. Current gear rotor oil pumps are easy to build into the gear box as
they
are direct drive on the shaft. millions of them in use.
Larry

Larry,
I'm with you on one an two - but hadn't worked out how to do the
pump - are
they cam on the shaft driven?
George ( down under)

--
Larry,

I've have been waiting years for someone to bring this point up.I
agree that eliminating the metal shaver gear box from taking out the
engine would be a wise move.This would entail making a sump and small
oil cooler as well though. I am not so sure on the second point.Isn't
the rotary engine basically a gear to gear set-up with the rotors
riding
on ball bearing?

Of course temperature difference is a big factor.Oil engineered to
lubricated the rotary gears would have to withstand a higher
temperature.

Do you know how helicopters lubricate and cool their planetary boxes?

Doug in Japan



Bud has a self contained gear box--though it seems expensive. On
the other hand if we gain a good cost savings on the motor a
excellent self contained drive might be in order if that is what you
want.  (two systems)  One won't take out the other, but you double
the "systems" your call.

Bud does have some excellent ideas.   http://www.geareddrives.com/
Philosophy1.htm

Cheers
Scott

Bud's gear boxes are heavy because they are not planetaries.
The strength of any gear set is a function of the line contact
width. For a given gear width the line contact width of a planetary
can be up to six times longer with six pinions as found in the Ford A4OD
used in Tracy's gear box, Mistral planetary and Doug's Bell 47 final
drive planetary.

For this reason and others plantaries have been used in most
aircraft engines up through the R4360 28 cylinder 3500 HP
corncob engine and others for the last 100 years.


Paul Lamar