Floating Labyrinth Seal Assembly for Leakage and Wear Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Labyrinth seals in engines face challenges due to varying radial clearance, which affects sealing efficiency and can lead to leakage and wear, especially under conditions of vibration, deflection, and thermal growth.
Innovation Solution
A labyrinth seal assembly comprising an outer seal component, a floating seal component, and an inner seal component, where the floating seal component is radially movable and defines a labyrinth feature with teeth that project radially inward, allowing for radial decoupling and rotational coupling, thereby maintaining a tortuous flow path and minimizing seal clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the radial clearance of labyrinth seals is reduced to improve sealing efficiency, then leakage decreases, but wear-inducing interactions increase under vibration and deflection conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The seal assembly transitions from a static configuration to a dynamic one where the inner seal component can float radially relative to the outer seal component. This radial floatability allows the seal to adapt its position in response to vibration and deflection, maintaining optimal clearance and reducing wear while preserving sealing efficiency.
2Loss of energy
If the radial clearance is minimized to improve sealing efficiency, then leakage is reduced, but the seal becomes sensitive to thermal growth and deflection
Solution Approach 1:
The inner seal component is designed with radial floatability, enabling it to dynamically adjust its position relative to the outer seal component. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the seal to accommodate thermal growth and deflection while maintaining minimal effective clearance for efficient sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal assembly allows changes in radial clearance parameters in response to operating conditions. The inner seal component can move radially to maintain optimal clearance despite thermal expansion or mechanical deflection, preserving sealing performance across varying conditions.
3Reliability
If a floating seal component is introduced to allow radial movement, then wear is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal assembly is divided into distinct components: an outer seal component and an inner seal component that can move independently. This segmentation allows the inner component to float radially for wear mitigation while keeping each component's individual structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner seal component is nested within the outer seal component, with the inner component having an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of the outer component. This nesting arrangement enables radial movement while maintaining a compact overall structure, balancing complexity reduction with wear mitigation functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A labyrinth seal assembly comprising: an outer seal having a radially inner cavity surface, and an axial cavity surface inward of the radially inner cavity surface; a floating seal received by the outer seal so as to be movable in a radial direction relative to the outer seal, the floating seal having a radially outer seal surface spaced inwardly from the radially inner cavity surface, a radially inner surface inward of the radially outer seal surface, and an axial seal surface bearing against the axial cavity surface; and an inner seal received by the floating seal, the inner seal having a radially outer surface spaced inwardly from the radially inner surface, a first one of the radially outer surface and the radially inner surface defining one tooth projecting toward a second one of the radially outer surface and the radially inner surface to inward of the axial seal surface.