An adaptive engine seal ring mounting structure and a mounting method thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of engine sealing technology, and in particular to an adaptive adjustable engine sealing ring mounting structure and its mounting method. The mounting structure includes a flexible sealing ring and a mating ring riveted to the intake manifold. The mating ring includes an upper mating ring and a lower mating ring arranged one above the other. The flexible sealing ring has an annular variable profile structure, with one end fitting against the rear end face of the mating ring and the other end protruding outward from the front end face of the mating ring, for mutual cooperation with the front end face of the engine to achieve a seal. After installation, the flexible sealing ring is compressed between the mating ring and the front end face of the engine. This mounting structure and its mounting method effectively solve the problems of risk and high manufacturing cost associated with engine-intake manifold sealing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of engine sealing technology, and in particular to an adaptive adjustable engine seal ring mounting structure and its mounting method. Background Technology

[0002] The section of pipe from the aircraft inlet (or engine nacelle inlet) to the engine inlet is called the engine air intake. The functions of the air intake include: 1. Under various conditions, smoothly introducing a sufficient amount of air into the compressor with minimal flow loss and creating a uniform flow field at the compressor inlet to avoid compressor blade vibration and compressor stall; 2. When the airflow Mach number at the compressor inlet is lower than the flight Mach number, increasing the air pressure through ram compression. The design requirements for aircraft engine air intakes are: to provide sufficient airflow for the normal operation of the power unit, and to ensure that the pressure recovery coefficient and pressure distortion at the power unit inlet meet design requirements.

[0003] The front face sealing ring is the transition part between the aircraft air intake and the engine inlet. Its front part is connected to the air intake and its rear part is connected to the engine inlet, so as to make the air intake outlet and the engine inlet smoothly transition, ensuring a uniform flow field at the engine inlet.

[0004] The front face seal should smoothly transition to the intake outlet and engine inlet, without any protrusions or steps in the direction of airflow. It should also have a straight section of at least 300mm in length to ensure the uniformity of the flow field at the engine inlet. The front face seal should fit snugly to the engine inlet and intake outlet. Any gaps should be eliminated when the engine is running, or compensated by an elastic sealing device to ensure no axial or radial gas leakage during engine operation. If the front face seal is used as a load-bearing component, it should only bear the forces and moments in the Y and Z directions, and must ensure that it can expand freely in the X direction during engine operation.

[0005] Due to the complex operating conditions and harsh working environment during engine operation, as well as the high maneuvering overload of the aircraft and the thermal expansion of the engine, there is an inevitable certain relative displacement at the connection between the aircraft air intake and the engine air inlet. The connection sealing structure here must not only ensure the airtightness of the joint, but also coordinate the dynamic axial and radial fit between the aircraft air intake and the engine air inlet during engine operation.

[0006] Currently, such sealing compensation structures suffer from problems such as a single compensation direction, inconvenient disassembly and assembly, and complex structure, making it difficult to meet the requirements for isolating engine deformation and displacement, as well as aircraft maintenance. Patent CN112623236A discloses "a multi-directional aircraft air intake sealing compensation structure and a method for determining structural parameters," which includes: an engine air intake flange, a fireproof sealing ring, and an air intake flange. The air intake flange is installed at the air intake outlet, the engine air intake flange is installed at the engine inlet, and the fireproof sealing ring is installed between the engine air intake flange and the air intake flange.

[0007] However, the above technical solution did not take into account the easily deformable characteristics of the composite material structural parts of the air intake duct during the design process. After deformation, the sealing effect will be reduced and radial misalignment will also occur. At the same time, the engine air intake flange and the air intake duct flange in this technical solution are irregularly shaped parts with complex structures and inconvenient disassembly and assembly. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention proposes an adaptive adjustment engine sealing ring mounting structure and its mounting method, which can effectively solve the problems of risk and high manufacturing cost in engine-intake manifold sealing.

[0009] This invention is achieved by adopting the following technical solution:

[0010] An adaptive engine sealing ring mounting structure is characterized by comprising a flexible sealing ring and a mating ring riveted to the intake manifold; the mating ring comprises an upper mating ring and a lower mating ring arranged one above the other; the flexible sealing ring has an annular variable profile structure, with one end fitting against the rear end face of the mating ring and the other end protruding outward from the front end face of the mating ring, for cooperating with the front end face of the engine to achieve a seal; after installation, the flexible sealing ring is compressed between the mating ring and the front end face of the engine.

[0011] Both the upper and lower docking rings are ring-shaped and arranged symmetrically.

[0012] The upper docking ring is annular; the lower docking ring is non-annular and is used to adapt to deformed air intakes. The gap between the upper and lower docking rings is no more than 1 mm.

[0013] Along the direction from the intake duct to the engine, the intake internal flow passage is a tapered surface with a reduced inner diameter at the front end of the engine.

[0014] The rear end face of the docking ring has an annular groove, and the flexible sealing ring is placed in the annular groove.

[0015] The flexible sealing ring is O-shaped or trapezoidal.

[0016] The flexible sealing ring is connected to the mating ring via a connector, which includes a screw, a nut, and a washer.

[0017] It also includes the connected thrust pin and engine mounting bracket.

[0018] An adaptive adjustment method for installing engine seals, characterized by the following steps:

[0019] The docking ring is riveted to the air intake, and the flexible sealing ring is connected to the docking ring.

[0020] Determine the engine installation location: Based on the strength and stiffness of the flexible sealing ring, control the theoretical compression of the flexible sealing ring, and further determine the distance between the front end face of the engine and the front end face of the mating ring, so that after the engine is installed, the compression of the flexible sealing ring is within the design range.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] 1. In this invention, the adaptive engine sealing ring mounting structure is used for sealing compensation connection between the aircraft engine and the air intake. This adaptive sealing compensation structure can not only ensure the pressure recovery coefficient and air intake flow of the air intake, but also compensate for the deformation and displacement in different directions generated during engine operation, thereby significantly reducing the impact of engine deformation and displacement on aircraft performance.

[0023] Compared with existing intake manifold sealing compensation structures, the intake manifold adaptive adjustment sealing compensation structure provided by this invention has a simple installation method and structure. The design structure of the upper and lower docking rings compensates for the inability to install and the sealing effect caused by intake manifold deformation. By designing the distance between the engine front face and the docking ring, the compression of the flexible sealing ring can be ensured to be within the design range, thereby controlling the sealing effect, ensuring axial and radial displacement, avoiding misalignment, and thus ensuring that the engine can work normally.

[0024] 2. Both the upper and lower docking rings are ring-shaped and arranged symmetrically, resulting in a simple structure.

[0025] 3. The lower docking ring has a non-ring structure to adapt to the deformed air intake. The gap between the upper docking ring and the lower docking ring is no more than 1mm, so that the lower docking ring can be designed with a margin according to the deformation measurement of the composite air intake and can be trimmed to adapt to the shape of the air intake according to the deformation of the air intake.

[0026] 4. The intake internal flow passage is a tapered surface with a reduced inner diameter at the front end of the engine. This can prevent the engine thermal expansion or heavy motor overload from causing radial movement of the intake passage and resulting in reverse airflow, thereby ensuring the intake flow rate.

[0027] 5. The rear end face of the docking ring is formed with an annular groove, and the flexible sealing ring is placed in the annular groove to facilitate better control of the position of the flexible sealing ring.

[0028] 6. The flexible sealing ring is O-shaped or trapezoidal, and has an annular variable profile structure. It is a flexible component of the intake duct sealing compensation structure. It has a simple structure, long service life, good sealing effect, and self-adaptive pressure limiting function.

[0029] 7. The flexible sealing ring is connected to the mating ring through a connector, which includes screws, nuts and washers to ensure the installation axis position of the flexible sealing ring, and at the same time, to enable the rear end face of the mating ring to bear the clamping force of the engine installing and compressing the flexible sealing ring, thus serving as a support surface for positioning and adaptive adjustment of the compression amount of the flexible sealing ring.

[0030] 8. It also includes a connected thrust pin and an engine mounting bracket, which facilitates determining the engine mounting position and thus the distance between the engine front end face and the docking ring front end face.

[0031] 9. In this invention, a series of mating designs are used to control the sealing effect, ensuring axial and radial displacement and preventing misalignment, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the engine. The mating design includes: an annular groove formed on the rear end face of the mating ring; the flexible sealing ring placed within this annular groove; the flexible sealing ring having an O-shaped or trapezoidal structure; the connection form between the flexible sealing ring and the mating ring; a conical air intake internal flow channel; and the strength and rigidity of the flexible sealing ring.

[0032] 10. This installation method is designed to adapt to the easily deformable characteristics of composite material structures in the air intake, ensuring a good sealing effect. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, wherein:

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of region A in this invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the docking ring in this invention;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of region B in this invention;

[0038] Marked in the image:

[0039] 1. Engine, 2. Thrust pin, 3. Intake manifold, 4. Engine mounting bracket, 5. Flexible sealing ring, 6. Engine front face, 7. Upper mating ring, 8. Lower mating ring, 9. Screw, 10. Nut, 11. Washer, 12. Conical, 13. Rear end face of mating ring, 14. Front end face of mating ring. Detailed Implementation

[0040] Example 1

[0041] As a basic embodiment of the present invention, the present invention includes an adaptively adjustable engine sealing ring mounting structure, comprising a flexible sealing ring 5 and a mating ring riveted to the intake manifold 3. The mating ring has a split structure, including an upper mating ring 7 and a lower mating ring 8 arranged one above the other. The flexible sealing ring 5 has an annular variable profile structure, with one end fitting against the rear end face 13 of the mating ring, and the other end protruding outward from the front end face 14 of the mating ring, for cooperating with the front end face 6 of the engine to achieve a seal. After installation, the flexible sealing ring 5 is compressed between the mating ring and the front end face 6 of the engine, and can maintain a reasonable amount of compression.

[0042] The upper docking ring 7 and the lower docking ring 8 are respectively installed on the air intake duct 3, which can compensate for the installation error caused by the deformation of the composite air intake duct 3, and are also suitable for the installation of the overall large-size air intake duct 3.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention includes an adaptively adjustable engine sealing ring mounting structure, comprising a flexible sealing ring 5 and a mating ring riveted to an air intake duct 3. To compensate for installation errors caused by deformation of the composite air intake duct 3, the mating ring comprises an upper mating ring 7 and a lower mating ring 8 arranged one above the other. Furthermore, based on the deformation measurement of the composite air intake duct 3, the shape of the upper mating ring can be kept constant, ensuring it remains annular; the lower mating ring is designed with a margin to be non-annular, and is trimmed to fit the shape of the air intake duct 3 according to its deformation. After installation, the gap between the upper mating ring 7 and the lower mating ring 8 should not exceed 1 mm.

[0045] The flexible sealing ring 5 has an annular variable profile structure, with one end fitting against the rear end face 13 of the docking ring and the other end protruding outward from the front end face 14 of the docking ring for interaction with the front end face 6 of the engine to achieve a seal. Specifically, the rear end face of the docking ring has an annular groove, and the flexible sealing ring 5 is placed in this annular groove. After installation, the flexible sealing ring 5 is compressed between the docking ring and the front end face 6 of the engine.

[0046] Example 3

[0047] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention includes an adaptively adjustable engine sealing ring mounting structure, comprising a flexible sealing ring 5 and a mating ring riveted to an air intake duct 3. The mating ring comprises an upper mating ring 7 and a lower mating ring 8 arranged one above the other, and both the upper mating ring 7 and the lower mating ring 8 are annular and are riveted to the air intake duct 3 respectively.

[0048] The flexible sealing ring 5 has an annular variable profile structure, with one end fitting against the rear end face 13 of the docking ring and the other end protruding outward from the front end face 14 of the docking ring, for mating with the front end face 6 of the engine to achieve a seal. After installation, the flexible sealing ring 5 is compressed between the docking ring and the front end face 6 of the engine.

[0049] In order to avoid the reverse airflow caused by the radial movement of the intake duct 3 due to the thermal expansion of the engine 1 or the overload of the engine, and thus to ensure the intake flow, the inner intake passage is in the shape of a tapered surface 12 with a reduced inner diameter at the front end face 6 of the engine along the direction from the intake duct 3 to the engine 1.

[0050] Example 4

[0051] As the preferred embodiment of the present invention, please refer to the appendix to the specification. Figure 1 The present invention includes an adaptively adjustable engine seal ring mounting structure, comprising an engine 1, a thrust pin 2, an air intake duct 3, an engine mounting bracket 4, a flexible seal ring 5, and connecting components. The connecting components include screws 9, nuts 10, and washers 11.

[0052] Refer to the instruction manual appendix Figure 3 The docking ring is configured as two halves, including an upper docking ring 7 and a lower docking ring 8 arranged one above the other. In this embodiment, the upper docking ring 7 and the lower docking ring 8 are designed to be the same size, both ring-shaped, and symmetrically arranged vertically. The docking ring is connected to the air intake duct 3 by riveting. The structural design of the upper docking ring 7 and the lower docking ring 8 is used to compensate for installation errors caused by deformation of the composite air intake duct 3, and is also suitable for the installation of a large-size overall air intake duct 3.

[0053] Engine 1 transmits force through thrust pin 2, which connects to engine mounting bracket 4 for determining the engine 1's mounting position and transmitting thrust to the aircraft structure. Once the engine 1's mounting position is determined, the distance between the engine's front face 6 and the docking ring's front face 14 is also determined. By controlling the strength and stiffness of the flexible sealing ring 5, the theoretical compression of the flexible sealing ring 5 is controlled. Through the control of these two distances, the seal between engine 1 and the air intake duct 3 can be adaptively adjusted to achieve the desired effect. The engine's front face 6 is designed with an intake cone surface for engine 1 within the air intake duct. Specifically, along the direction from the air intake duct 3 to the engine 1, the air intake duct at the engine's front face 6 is a tapered surface 12 with a reduced inner diameter. This prevents the engine 1 from experiencing radial movement due to thermal expansion or heavy maneuvering overload, thus ensuring adequate intake flow.

[0054] Refer to the instruction manual appendix Figure 2 Included with instruction manual Figure 4 The flexible sealing ring 5 is fitted to the rear end face 13 of the docking ring. Specifically, the rear end face 13 of the docking ring forms an annular groove, and the flexible sealing ring 5 is placed in this annular groove. The other end protrudes outward from the front end face 14 of the docking ring to cooperate with the front end face 6 of the engine to complete the seal. After installation, the flexible sealing ring 5 is compressed between the docking ring and the front end face 6 of the engine. The rear end face 13 of the docking ring is the inner wall of the annular groove. The flexible sealing ring 5 is fixedly connected to the upper docking ring 7 and the lower docking ring 8 by screws 9, nuts 10 and washers 11, ensuring the installation axis position of the flexible sealing ring 5. At the same time, the rear end face 13 of the docking ring bears the clamping force of the engine 1 to compress the flexible sealing ring 5, and serves as a support surface for positioning and adaptive adjustment of the compression amount of the sealing ring. There are a total of eight installation points, evenly distributed along the circumference of the docking ring. The flexible sealing ring 5 is designed as an O-shape or trapezoidal shape, and has an annular variable profile structure. It is a flexible component of the air intake duct 3 sealing compensation structure. It has a simple structure, long service life, good sealing effect, and adaptive pressure limiting function.

[0055] An installation method for an engine seal mounting structure utilizing the above-mentioned adaptive adjustment includes the following steps:

[0056] Rivet the docking ring to the air intake duct 3, and connect the flexible sealing ring 5 to the docking ring;

[0057] Determine the installation position of engine 1: Based on the strength and stiffness of the flexible sealing ring 5, control the theoretical compression of the flexible sealing ring 5, and further determine the distance between the front end face 6 of the engine and the front end face 14 of the docking ring, so that after the engine 1 is installed, the compression of the flexible sealing ring 5 is within the design range.

[0058] In summary, any other corresponding modifications made by those skilled in the art after reading this invention document, without requiring creative mental effort, based on the technical solutions and concepts of this invention, are all within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure, characterized in that: It includes a flexible sealing ring (5) and a docking ring riveted to the composite material air intake (3); the docking ring includes an upper docking ring (7) and a lower docking ring (8) arranged one above the other, which can be trimmed to fit the shape of the air intake (3) according to the deformation of the air intake (3); the flexible sealing ring (5) is an annular variable profile structure, one end of which is fitted with the rear end face (13) of the docking ring, and the other end protrudes outward from the front end face (14) of the docking ring, which is used to cooperate with the front end face (6) of the engine to achieve sealing; after installation, the flexible sealing ring (5) is compressed between the docking ring and the front end face (6) of the engine, and the compression of the flexible sealing ring (5) is within the design range.

2. The adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper docking ring (7) and the lower docking ring (8) are both ring-shaped and arranged symmetrically.

3. The adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper docking ring (7) is annular; the lower docking ring (8) is non-annular and is used to adapt to the deformed composite material air intake (3). The gap between the upper docking ring (7) and the lower docking ring (8) is no more than 1 mm.

4. The adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the direction from the composite material intake duct (3) to the engine (1), the intake inner flow channel is a tapered surface (12) with a reduced inner diameter at the front end face (6) of the engine.

5. The adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear end face of the docking ring has an annular groove, and the flexible sealing ring (5) is placed in the annular groove.

6. The adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flexible sealing ring (5) is O-shaped or trapezoidal.

7. The adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The flexible sealing ring (5) is connected to the mating ring through a connector, which includes a screw (9), a nut (10) and a washer (11).

8. The adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes the connected thrust pin (2) and the engine mounting bracket (4).

9. The installation method of the adaptive adjustment engine seal ring mounting structure according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: The docking ring is riveted to the composite material air intake (3), and the flexible sealing ring (5) is connected to the docking ring; Determine the installation position of the engine (1): Based on the strength and stiffness of the flexible sealing ring (5), control the theoretical compression of the flexible sealing ring (5) and further determine the distance between the front end face (6) of the engine and the front end face (14) of the docking ring so that the compression of the flexible sealing ring (5) is within the design range after the engine (1) is installed.

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