Impeller Rotor Seal Land Material Split for Wear-Resistant Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current deaerators in rotational equipment, such as gas turbine engines, lack a lightweight and wear-resistant rotor assembly, which affects their performance and longevity.
Innovation Solution
A turbine engine assembly featuring an impeller rotor made of lightweight materials like aluminum, paired with a seal land made of durable materials like steel, and a lip seal with a biasing element to prevent wear and fluid leakage, ensuring a sealed interface through mechanical attachment and interference fits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the impeller rotor is made from lightweight materials like aluminum, then the rotating mass is reduced, but the wear resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seal land is constructed as a composite structure with a base made of lightweight impeller rotor material (e.g., aluminum) and a hard coating applied to the sealing surface. This composite construction allows the seal land to benefit from both the low weight of aluminum and the high wear resistance of the hard coating material, resolving the contradiction between lightweight design and wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire impeller rotor from heavy wear-resistant material, the hard coating is applied only to the seal land portion that requires wear resistance. This localized application of hard material preserves the overall lightweight advantage of the aluminum rotor while providing wear resistance exactly where it is needed for sealing operations.
2Reliability
If a hard coating is applied to the seal land base, then the wear resistance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hard coating process transforms the surface properties of the seal land base without changing the fundamental structure or material of the underlying aluminum component. This parameter change (surface hardening) achieves improved wear resistance through a relatively simple coating process rather than complex manufacturing steps.
Data Source
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AI summary
An assembly (20) is provided for a turbine engine. This turbine engine assembly includes an impeller rotor (32), a seal land (108) and a lip seal (110). The impeller rotor (32) is configured to rotate about a rotational axis (46). The impeller rotor (32) is configured from or otherwise includes impeller rotor material. The seal land (108) extends axially along and circumferentially about the rotational axis (46). The seal land (108) is mechanically attached to and rotatable with the impeller rotor (32). The seal land (108) is configured from or otherwise includes seal land material that is different than the impeller rotor material. The lip seal (110) radially engages the seal land (108).