Indented Seal Surfaces for Fluid Film Gap Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seal assemblies in gas turbine engines face challenges in maintaining an optimal fluid film thickness between rotating and stationary components to prevent leakage while minimizing wear, as excessive gap size can lead to fluid leakage and contact-induced damage.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of indents on the sealing surfaces of either the rotating or stationary components creates a hydrodynamic pressure through turbulent vortex flow, generating a lift separation force that controls the fluid film thickness, preventing complete fluid leakage and wear by maintaining an appropriate gap size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the gap between stationary component and rotating component is increased, then wear damage is reduced, but fluid leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing surfaces are equipped with indents that create localized hydrodynamic pressure zones. These indents modify the local fluid dynamics to generate lift forces that maintain an optimized fluid film thickness, providing both wear protection and leakage prevention in different local regions of the seal interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The indents change the physical parameters of the fluid film by creating turbulent vortex flow that generates hydrodynamic pressure. This transforms the fluid's pressure distribution and velocity profile, enabling the formation of a stable lubrication film that prevents both contact wear and excessive leakage.
2Loss of substance
If the gap between stationary component and rotating component is decreased, then fluid leakage is minimized, but wear damage increases due to contact
Solution Approach 1:
The indents are pre-configured on the sealing surfaces to generate hydrodynamic pressure as soon as fluid enters the seal interface. This preliminary action of creating pressure zones ensures that the fluid film is established before significant leakage or contact wear can occur, maintaining protection throughout the sealing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes hydraulic principles by employing fluid dynamics to generate lift forces. The indents create turbulent flow patterns that convert kinetic energy into hydrodynamic pressure, using the fluid itself to maintain the separating force and prevent contact between sealing surfaces.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional seal configurations are used, then manufacturing is simple, but optimal fluid film thickness control is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing surface is segmented into multiple indents rather than using a continuous surface. This segmentation allows each indent to independently generate hydrodynamic pressure zones, providing better control over fluid film thickness distribution across the seal interface while maintaining manufacturability through standardized indent patterns.
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
This solution effectively reduces fluid leakage across the seal while ensuring adequate lubrication, allowing the use of more durable materials that may not be suitable for high-temperature applications, thereby extending the operating life of the seal components.
Implementation Method 1
creates a hydrodynamic pressure via turbulent vortex flow of the fluid
Implementation Method 2
creates a hydrodynamic pressure via turbulent vortex flow of the fluid, which in turn creates a lift separation force
Implementation Method 3
creates a lift separation force to form a gap within which the fluid is located
Implementation Method 4
control a thickness of the fluid lubrication film between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3E
Figure 4A~4F
AI summary
A seal assembly (10) for preventing the flow of fluid includes a rotating component (14) having a first sealing surface (16), a stationary component (18) coaxial with the rotating component (14) and having a second sealing surface (20) with the second sealing surface (20) configured to form a seal with the first sealing surface (16) of the rotating component (14), and indents (22) in one of the first sealing surface (16) and the second sealing surface (20). The indents (22) are configured to control a width of a gap (24) between the first sealing surface (16) and the second sealing surface (20) to allow fluid to flow into the gap (24). At least two of the indents (22) are at least partially aligned in the radial direction.