Good morning Paul
 I am sending you the propeller shaft design and i would like to know if
 Jeff can machine this shaft and how much.
 I specified sae 4130 but you can recommend a better choice for shafting
 and treatment.
 I modified my housing design for a larger surface bearing at prop side
 and also a better ring gear attachment with back plate and rivets plus
 bolts.
 The ring gear back plate is already machined .
 With Alibre i can not convert for Rhino files but dwg can be open with
 Solid Works eDrawing

 Jean Prudhomme

 Looks good Jean. Is it an exact copy of a Lycoming or Continental
 shaft?

 If so that is good. Do you mean planet carrier back plate? If you
 want a 2.85:1 gear box you will need to drive the planet carrier
 and hold the ring gear stationary.

 You will have to contact Jeff directly and see if he will do it.
 If you are only making one or two you don't need an NC lathe.

 jeff doddridge <4starr@cox.net <mailto:4starr@cox.net
 <mailto:4starr@cox.net <mailto:4starr@cox.net

 Paul Lamar

 Yes Paul this is the exact Lycoming 10-540 big journal from the seal to
 the flange included, i did turn around 180 degree the planet outer ring
 and machined the back plate and fix with rivets a larger plate in
 dia so
 i can bolt it to the housing and the fact the planet stay forward i
 will need a thin oil impregnated flat washer between the outer ring and
 the back plate and panet housing.

 I did drive out the small gears shaft from the planet and i will make 6
 longer shaft for the small gears to been driven by the propshaft and
 the planet embossed reset shaft will be press fit into the
 propeller shaft.
 I intend to built one unit for testing and built a second one may be
 more.
 I will request also a quote from a drive shaft manufacturer if they
 have
 the material available




 Jean,IMHO the rear flange that the planetary attaches to needs a
 large radius fillet where it meets the shaft OD for the same reasons as
 the flange on the other end. Also the internal bulkhead might be easier
 to fabricate if the center had a conical 120 degree depression the same
 shape as the largest drill bit you will use before changing to the
 boring bar A boring bar small enough to machine the center flat would
 be seriously overhung at that depth. The shallow end could be cut to
 constant thickness by setting the compound to 30 degrees.You might
 save on machining costs if you cut the billet down to .100 from all the
 surfaces and have the fine finish cuts done by someone like Jeff. The
 bearing journals will likely be done by a crankshaft repair shop who
 could chrome the journals as well.

 george grimes


 Good points George. The aft steel bulkhead could be replaced by an
 aluminum
 plug pressed in. That would make it much cheaper to build as a
 large drill can
 do most of the work. See the attached jpg.

 Paul Lamar

 Paul, As I understand it Jean has a support bearing for the input shaft
 located at the planetary end of the prop shaft and that is the reason the
 rear bulkhead is not flush. Also the whole purpose of this PSRU is to
 have a hydraulically controlled constant speed prop.
 I am a little leary about a pressed in welch plug holding the 120 PSI
 prop oil pressure.If I had to change the bulkhead I would bore it
 with a step as shown in your JPEG above and fit a disk with an "O" ring
 in the rim and retain that with a snap ring. The bulkhead as designed is
 light and leak proof, just ugly to fabricate.

 george grimes

 The alloy plug would be ideal for that. The alloy plug could be two
 inches
 long. Hardly a welch plug. You could also add a set screw or two. I would
 still press it in as the alloy expands faster than the steel. A couple
 of tons will do the press job.

 The only think that holds the prop on in Tracy's box is a pressed
 on steel collar.

 A small hole drilled in the bulkhead could feed it with oil. Since
 the sun gear
 rotates in the same direction as the output shaft the speed
 difference would
 only be about 5K RPM.

 Making it easier to fab would also lower the cost.


 Paul Lamar


 Yes Paul very good idea but by pressing this plug several tons do you
 think it can change the outside diameter where the journal bearing is
 located you see the clearance between the journal bearing and the shaft
 diameter is .0022 max /.0012minimum as per factory specs

 Jean Prudhomme

 I was exaggerating. 1000 pounds would be plenty.
 That shaft is very stiff back there because of the double
 flanges. I doubt you will be able to measure a change.
 Make a test piece and try it.

 Paul Lamar


Yes Paul
An aluminum press fit plug and a snap ring behind will do the job to hold
pressure


Jean Prudhomme