A Well-Designed Gearbox is a Beautiful Thing

ASME's Mechanical Engineering magazine’s column, "As the Turbine Turns,” for September 2017 is about one of the most important devices in a multitude of mechanical systems. In this 21st century technological world, it is surprising that this device does not have any electrical or electronic components. It's a gearbox, and in particular the article discusses a key component of the "geared turbofan" (GTF) jet engine, a planetary gearbox. Without it, velocities at the tip of the fan would easily approach supersonic speeds with all the associated problems that would cause.

In my first job as a mechanical engineer at Scientific-Atlanta, the electrical and RF engineers, the "sparkies," outnumbered the mechanical engineers, the "sledgies," by at least 20:1, maybe more. This article brought back fond memories of being one of the select "sledgies," where nothing defines us better than a well-designed gearbox.
- Dr. Tom

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