Gas Turbine Sealing Structure With Shared-Wall Honeycomb Cells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sealing structures in gas turbine engines with double-walled cells lead to increased weight, excessive heat generation, and reduced lifespan due to rubbing contact, and are limited by manufacturing methods that cannot eliminate double-walled structures or allow for optimal cell shape design.
Innovation Solution
A sealing structure with single-walled cells, where each wall is shared between adjacent cells, reducing overlap area to ≤10% of the cell area, and utilizing additive manufacturing to eliminate double-walled structures, reduce material thickness, and promote fracture wear, thereby minimizing heat generation and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional welding methods are used to manufacture honeycomb-shaped cells with overlapping walls, then the sealing structure can be produced with good mechanical strength, but the double-walled structures increase the overall weight and material usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges adjacent cells by making walls shared between cells, eliminating double-walled structures. Each wall is shared by two adjacent cells, reducing material usage and weight while maintaining the honeycomb configuration and mechanical strength through integrated design
2Ease of manufacture
If double-walled structures are used in the sealing structure, then manufacturing is simplified using conventional methods, but excessive heat generation occurs due to rubbing contact
Solution Approach 1:
By merging cells through shared walls, the patent eliminates double-walled structures that cause excessive rubbing contact and heat generation. The integrated single-walled design reduces material in the rubbing path while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
3Strength
If metal sheets with uniform thickness and high density are used, then good mechanical strength is achieved, but wear mechanisms result in material compaction and undesirable rubbing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying wall thickness rather than using uniform thickness throughout. Thinner walls in rubbing contact zones reduce compaction and improve rubbing performance, while thicker sections maintain structural integrity and mechanical strength where needed
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional manufacturing methods are used, then production is straightforward, but the shape of cells is limited and cannot be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs additive manufacturing to enable parameter changes in cell geometry, allowing optimization of cell shapes for specific performance requirements. This advanced manufacturing method provides design freedom while maintaining production capability through digital modeling and automated fabrication
5Reliability
If the first sealing part undergoes wear from rubbing contact, then sealing gap minimization is achieved, but material compaction leads to high peak loads and temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality through varied wall thickness, with thinner sections in rubbing zones that reduce material compaction. This prevents the formation of high peak loads and temperatures during wear, while maintaining adequate material where structural support is needed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of wear-induced compaction into a benefit by designing thinner walls that are intended to wear down. This controlled wear approach maintains sealing effectiveness while preventing excessive compaction and associated high temperatures
Data Source
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AI summary
A sealing structure for a gas turbine engine including a plurality of cells (210) connected to each other is provided. Each cell includes a plurality of walls (220) and the plurality of walls defines a polygonal shape therebetween in a cell plane. The polygonal shape includes a plurality of edges (230) and a plurality of vertices (240) defining a cell area in the cell plane. Each wall is shared by two adjacent cells such that each wall defines corresponding edges of the two adjacent cells. Each cell is connected to a set of adjacent cells at corresponding vertices, such that each cell and the set of adjacent cells form a plurality of connections (250) at the corresponding vertices. The plurality of connections forms a total overlap area between each cell and the set of adjacent cells. The total overlap area is less than or equal to 10% of the cell area.