Removable Air Seal for Rotors via Snap Mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air seals in rotational equipment, such as gas turbine engines, face challenges in effectively sealing gaps between rotors and stationary structures, particularly in terms of durability and ease of maintenance, as they often require permanent attachment and complex mounting schemes.
Innovation Solution
An annular air seal configuration utilizing knife edge seal elements with a removable attachment mechanism, such as a snap or interference connection, is introduced, allowing for quick replacement and integration with a rotor disk and annular arm, enhancing sealing efficiency and maintenance accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a permanent attachment scheme is used for the air seal, then the sealing reliability is improved, but the ease of maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air seal assembly is divided into separable components: the air seal element and the mounting structure. This segmentation allows the air seal to be removed and replaced independently from the rotor disk or arm, enabling easy maintenance while maintaining reliable sealing during operation through precise geometric engagement features.
2Manufacturing precision
If a complex mounting scheme is used for the air seal, then the sealing precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex precision sealing function is extracted into a dedicated air seal element with specific geometric features (knife edge seals, seal lands), which can be manufactured with high precision independently. This separates the precision requirement from the overall mounting scheme, allowing simpler attachment mechanisms while maintaining sealing precision through the specialized seal element design.
Solution Approach 2:
The air seal element is nested within or onto the mounting structure (rotor disk or arm), with interference fits or snap connections providing both secure attachment and alignment. This nesting approach simplifies the mounting scheme by integrating the seal element directly into the existing structure without requiring complex external mounting mechanisms.
3Strength
If the air seal is permanently attached to the rotor disk or arm, then the structural integrity is improved, but the productivity during maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system transitions from a static permanent attachment to a dynamic removable connection that provides structural integrity during operation but allows quick disassembly during maintenance. Interference fits or snap connections maintain strong attachment during rotation while enabling rapid removal when maintenance is required, improving maintenance productivity without compromising operational strength.
Data Source
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AI summary
An assembly (10) is provided for rotational equipment. This assembly (10) includes a rotor disk (24), an annular arm (26), an annular air seal (28) and an annular seal land (18). The rotor disk (24) is rotatable about an axis (12). The annular arm (26) is connected to the rotor disk (24). The annular arm (26) projects axially out from the rotor disk (24) to a distal arm end (48). The annular air seal (26) is removably attached to and substantially completely supported by the annular arm (26) at the distal arm end (48). The annular seal land (18) is sealingly engaged with the annular air seal (26).