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 Prudhomme

   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

Hi George
When you talking on the planet rear flange and mention larger fillet
are you talking  as bigger end small gears shafts (6) i did make a sketch
before to you and i see a real problem to machined the counterbore with
a end mill the fact the space between the rear flange and the reverse
trust holding flange is near by and it will be much costly to produce
but as per Paul he mention on the past those 6 small shaft gears are
strong enought to transfer load from the planet to the propshaft..

Your idea with an aluminum plug with an oring and a snap ring
retainer can be enough to hold the governor pressure???May be we
need also a reverse oil seal to hold the pressure.

All your recommendations are helpfull.

The real estate slow down now so i will put more time in the project.
Is easy to removed those little shaft from the planet just tap on it
with same size punch and hammer and the rizpin cut very easy  and for
the remaining part on the planet just trace a line where the pin are
located and a small corner grinding to reach the other end of the
hole which is very near and punch it out.

I was looking to buy 2 block of 4' by 8' by 12.5" aluminum at $155.00
each and it will be more economic if i built a wood casting form and
get it done by a foundry ,if one of you now a good and cheap place
to get done let me know

Jean Prudhomme

Jean,

If I understand correctly, the shaft will be filled with oil from the governor
at 120PSI. The plug looks like it should be 2.25" OD. That is 3.97"sq. This
would be about 475 pounds force. The snap rings in that size will hold that no
problem. If pressed in, eventually the aluminum will contract slightly from
the heating and cooling and vibration. An O-ring or two in the plug will seal
it no problem. A lip seal is not necessary. The other way would be to machine
a small step in the ID to match a Welch plug OD with leaving a few thousandths
for press fit. A bit of sealant and bang thee plug in. For extra insurance I
would machine a snap ring groove in to retain the plug. These are mild steel
and fairly thin so weight is not a problem. There is also the style plug that
is cupped without a lip. You install them against a step in the bore with the
dished side out. You give them a tap with a hammer to set them and take the
cup out. They swage out to seal and stick in. A bit of gasket sealer keeps
them from leaking. Again, a snap ring for insurance.

Dale Davies