Ramped Spacer Ring Seal with Pilot-Guided Radial Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ring seal assemblies in gas turbine engines are prone to damage during installation due to eccentric or off-center installation of ring seals, leading to reduced service life and effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
The ring seal assembly incorporates pilot features on seal seats and flanges to guide and position seal rings radially, along with a biasing member to ensure proper axial and radial alignment, preventing damage during assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ring seals are installed without pilot features, then the installation process is simpler, but the ring seals are damaged due to eccentric or off-center installation
Solution Approach 1:
Pilot features are pre-formed on the seal seats and flanges before ring seal installation. These pilot features serve as preliminary positioning elements that guide the ring seals into correct radial alignment during assembly, preventing eccentric installation and damage while maintaining a straightforward installation process.
2Manufacturing precision
If pilot features are added to guide ring seals, then the radial positioning accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning function is segmented into separate pilot features on different components (seal seats and flanges). Each pilot feature independently provides radial location guidance for specific ring seals, achieving high positioning accuracy through distributed, modular positioning elements rather than a single complex mechanism.
3Reliability
If multiple seal spacers are installed sequentially, then the sealing effectiveness is improved, but the risk of impact damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
Pilot features are pre-formed on the seal seats and flanges before ring seal installation. These pilot features serve as preliminary positioning elements that guide the ring seals into correct radial alignment during assembly, preventing eccentric installation and damage while maintaining a straightforward installation process.
Data Source
AI summary
A ring seal assembly includes a first seal seat, a second seal seat axially abutting the first seal seat and two or more seal rings located axially between the first seal seat and the second seal seat. One or more pilot features are positioned at one or more of the first seal seat or the second seal seat to radially locate a ring seal of the two or more seal rings during assembly of the ring seal assembly. A method of installing a ring seal assembly includes securing a first seal seat at a rotating component, inserting a first seal ring onto the first seal seat, and installing a second seal ring and a second seal seat to the rotating component. The second seal ring is guided into a selected radial position via one or more pilot features located at the first seal seat and/or the second seal seat.