Radial Seal Offset Relief Cut for Turbine Engine Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engine seal assemblies experience uneven wear and performance degradation due to radial gaps and uneven pressures, leading to premature degradation and reduced engine performance, thermal efficiency, and durability.
Innovation Solution
The seal assembly features a fixed housing with an annular seal having notches and slots that provide radial and axial surfaces for balanced contact with the rotating element, using biasing members to maintain engagement and prevent uneven wear, while allowing for relief cuts to mitigate contact with the inner fixed surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radial spring biasing is applied to maintain seal engagement, then sealing reliability is improved, but radial force imbalance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The radial forces acting on the seal are segmented into distinct zones created by the notches. The first notch zone distributes radial forces against the fixed housing, while the second notch zone distributes radial forces against the rotating element. This segmentation of force application points helps balance the overall radial force distribution, preventing the imbalance that would result from uniform biasing across the entire seal surface.
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
The solution enhances seal performance by reducing uneven wear, maintaining radial force balance, and improving operational life, thereby improving engine performance, thermal efficiency, and durability.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member disposed on a radially outer surface of the annular seal for biasing the annular seal into contact with the rotating element
Data Source
AI summary
A seal assembly for a turbine engine is disclosed and includes a fixed housing including an axial surface defining an inner diameter and an annular seal that is disposed within the housing and seal against a radial surface of the fixed housing. The annular seal includes a first surface transverse to an axis of rotation and a second surface parallel to the axis of rotation defining an inner periphery. The first surface includes a first notch spaced apart from the inner periphery and overlapping the inner diameter of the fixed housing.