Lubrication system for change-speed epicyclic gearing

Claim 1

An epicyclic change speed gearing for transmitting drive optionally at an epicyclic ratio or a direct drive ratio, comprising a casing, input and output shafts supported by said casing, a sun gear having a bore through which one of said shafts extends coaxially with the bore, thrust bearing means disposed between the sun gear and the casing to take the thrust load of the sun gear on the casing, a planet carrier drivingly connected to one of the shafts, planet gear means meshing with the sun gear and rotatably mounted on the carrier by planet gear bearing means, an annulus gear meshing with said planet gear means and drivingly connected to that shaft which is not connected to the planet carrier, selecting means for optionally clutching the sun gear to the casing to hold the sun gear stationary to provide said epicyclic ratio in which relative rotation between the shaft passing through the sun gear and the sun gear takes place or clutching the sun gear to rotate at the same speed as the planet carrier and annulus gear to provide said direct drive ratio in which relative rotation between the sun gear and the casing takes place, a lubricant reservoir in the casing, a chamber which surrounds the shaft passing through the sun gear and is in communication with the reservoir, means for feeding lubricant from said reservoir to said chamber, first lubricant feed means in communication with the chamber and associated with the thrust bearing means and operative on relative rotation of the sun gear and the casing to feed lubricant from said chamber into and through the thrust bearing means, and second lubricant feed means within said bore of the sun gear and in communication with the chamber and operative on relative rotation between the sun gear and the shaft passing through the sun gear to feed lubricant to said planet gear bearing means.