Rolling-Element Seal Carrier for Low-Wear Guide Rail Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seal assemblies for rotational equipment, such as gas turbine engines, face challenges in reducing seal carrier wear, which can lead to increased maintenance and operational costs.
Innovation Solution
The proposed seal assembly incorporates a guide rail and a seal carrier with rolling elements that engage and roll against the guide rail, allowing the seal carrier to translate axially while reducing wear and friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a seal carrier translates along a guide rail in rotational equipment, then the seal assembly can maintain sealing contact between rotating and stationary components, but friction and wear between the seal carrier and guide rail increase, leading to reduced reliability and increased maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
A rolling element (ball or roller) is introduced as an intermediary between the seal carrier and guide rail. The rolling element rotates within a bearing race on the seal carrier while maintaining contact with the guide rail, converting direct sliding friction into rolling friction. This mediator reduces wear and friction on both the seal carrier and guide rail surfaces while maintaining the necessary sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding friction mechanism between the seal carrier and guide rail is replaced with a rolling element bearing system. By substituting the direct mechanical contact interface with a rolling element system, the coefficient of friction is significantly reduced, thereby decreasing wear and improving reliability of the seal assembly.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the seal carrier directly contacts the guide rail during translation, then the structure remains simple, but friction increases and wear accelerates, reducing operational duration
Solution Approach 1:
The rolling element serves as a mediator that extends the operational duration of the seal carrier by reducing friction and wear during translation along the guide rail. This intermediary component allows the seal carrier to operate for longer periods without degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The friction parameter is changed by introducing the rolling element, which transforms the friction mechanism from sliding to rolling. This parameter change significantly reduces the rate of wear and extends the operational duration of the seal carrier.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If rolling elements are added to the seal carrier to reduce wear, then friction and wear are reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
While the rolling element adds a component to the seal carrier, it serves as a highly effective mediator that reduces friction and wear. The added complexity is justified by the significant improvement in performance and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rolling element bearing is applied locally at the critical contact interface between the seal carrier and guide rail. This localized application of the rolling element provides maximum wear reduction benefit while minimizing the overall complexity increase of the entire seal assembly.
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 configuration effectively reduces seal carrier wear and friction, leading to improved operational efficiency and extended maintenance intervals for rotational equipment.
Implementation Method 1
The seal carrier includes a rolling element configured to engage and roll against the guide rail as the seal carrier translates along the guide rail
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly is provided for rotational equipment. This assembly includes a guide rail, a seal carrier, a seal element and a seal land. The seal carrier is mated with and is configured to translate along the guide rail. The seal carrier includes a rolling element configured to engage and roll against the guide rail as the seal carrier translates along the guide rail. The seal element is mounted to the seal carrier. The seal land is configured to rotate about an axis. The seal element is configured to sealingly engage the seal land.