Gas Turbine Fire Seal Mesh Structure for Airflow Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional turkey feather fire seals effectively prevent flame spread but block airflow, leading to high temperatures that can degrade components and reduce the seal's effectiveness over time.
Innovation Solution
A fire seal design featuring two metallic sheets with segmented fingers and flow apertures covered by a mesh material, such as metallic screen or gauze, allowing airflow while preventing flames from passing through.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional turkey feather fire seal is used to prevent flame spread, then fire containment is improved, but airflow is blocked causing high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The fire seal incorporates a mesh material with porous structure that allows air to pass through while blocking flames. The mesh material is positioned between the first and second metallic sheets, creating a porous barrier that permits airflow for cooling purposes but prevents flame propagation, thus resolving the contradiction between fire containment and temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire seal uses a composite structure combining metallic sheets with mesh material. The first metallic sheet, mesh material, and second metallic sheet are assembled together to create a multi-layer composite seal that provides both fire resistance and airflow capability, addressing the contradiction between flame blocking and air passage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a solid fire seal barrier is used to block flames, then flame spread is prevented, but air flow is blocked reducing cooling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh material serves as a porous filter that allows air molecules to pass through while blocking larger flame structures. This porous structure enables the seal to simultaneously achieve flame spread prevention and maintain cooling efficiency by permitting necessary airflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh material acts as an intermediary element between the two metallic sheets, mediating the conflict between flame blocking and air flow. It selectively permits air passage while preventing flame propagation, thus resolving the contradiction between harmful factor prevention and productivity maintenance.
3Device complexity
If high temperatures are allowed to occur due to blocked airflow, then fire seal structure is simplified, but component life is reduced due to thermal degradation
Solution Approach 1:
By incorporating the porous mesh material, the seal allows airflow to pass through, preventing heat buildup and thermal degradation of components. This maintains component life without significantly increasing structural complexity, as the mesh material integrates easily between the existing metallic sheets.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables airflow to cool the area, reducing temperatures and extending the life of engine components by maintaining a fire boundary while allowing air to pass through, thus preventing flame spread.
Implementation Method 1
a mesh material (216) configured to cover the at least one flow aperture of the two sheets, wherein the mesh material is configured to allow the passage of air therethrough
Implementation Method 2
Enables airflow to cool the area, reducing temperatures and extending the life of engine components
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C
AI summary
A fire seal (210; 310; 410) for a gas turbine engine is provided. The fire seal includes a body comprising first and second metallic sheets (220; 320,222; 322) having a plurality of segmented fingers (218a, 218b; 318a, 318b), the segmented fingers overlapped such that the space between fingers (218a; 318a) on one sheet (220; 320) does not overlap the space between the fingers (218b; 318b) on the other sheet (222; 322), the fingers (218a; 318a, 218b; 318b) of the first and second sheets having at least one first and second flow apertures (214a; 314a,214b; 314b), the flow aperture of one sheet overlapping the flow aperture of the other sheet. A mesh material (216; 316) is configured to cover the flow aperture (214a, 214b; 314a, 314b) wherein the mesh material (216; 316) is configured to allow the passage of air therethrough.