Seal Plate With Separable Tabs for Gas Turbine Seal Wear Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas turbine engines face challenges in detecting wear in seal components, which can lead to inefficiencies and potential failures due to the lack of effective methods for monitoring seal condition during operation.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a seal assembly with separable tabs on the seal plate that fracture or wear in a worn condition, allowing the seal carrier to contact the plate, and a sensor system to detect these tabs in the lubrication system to determine the seal condition, enabling early detection of wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional seal plates are used without separable tabs, then the seal structure is simple and manufacturing is easier, but wear detection is not possible and seal condition cannot be monitored
Solution Approach 1:
The seal plate is segmented into a main body and multiple separable tabs that can detach independently. Each tab is connected by a support structure that allows separation when wear occurs. This segmentation enables wear detection through the presence or absence of tabs in the lubrication system while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs are pre-configured on the seal plate with supports designed to fracture or wear at predetermined points. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when seal wear reaches critical levels, the tabs will naturally separate and be detectable in the lubrication system, providing early warning before complete seal failure occurs.
2Reliability
If separable tabs with supports are added to the seal plate, then wear detection becomes possible, but manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into creating the main seal plate body and separately forming the tabs with their support structures. This allows each component to be manufactured and inspected independently before final assembly, potentially simplifying quality control and manufacturing planning despite adding components.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs serve multiple functions: they maintain seal integrity during normal operation, provide wear detection when they separate, and can be designed with unique geometries to identify specific seal assembly locations. This multi-functionality justifies the additional manufacturing complexity by providing both sealing and diagnostic capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If tabs are designed to separate in worn seal conditions, then early wear detection is enabled, but the seal plate structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The seal plate is divided into a robust main body and smaller tab components. The main body maintains the structural integrity required for seal function, while the tabs are designed as separate, lighter elements that can safely detach without compromising the overall seal plate strength or causing catastrophic failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structures connecting the tabs are designed to fracture or wear in a controlled manner before complete seal failure occurs. This preliminary cushioning allows the system to transition gracefully from normal operation to wear detection, providing warning time while maintaining structural integrity throughout the process.
4Loss of information
If multiple tabs with unique geometries are used for identification, then seal assembly identification becomes possible, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each tab is segmented with a unique geometry pattern that corresponds to its position on the seal plate. This segmentation of identification information across multiple tabs allows the sensor system to determine both the presence of wear and the specific location of the seal assembly, providing comprehensive diagnostic information.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs are designed with asymmetric or unique geometries that differ from one another, allowing the sensor system to identify specific tab positions and thereby determine which seal assembly is experiencing wear. This asymmetry provides location information without requiring complex manufacturing, as the geometric variations can be achieved through standard machining processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
A gas turbine engine (20) according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a compressor section (24), a combustor section (26), a turbine section (28), and at least one rotatable shaft (72). The engine further includes a seal assembly (64) having a seal plate (76) mounted for rotation with the rotatable shaft, a face seal (74) in contact with the seal plate at a contact area, and a seal carrier (78) supporting the face seal. Further, in normal operating conditions, the seal plate includes a plurality of tabs (92) configured to separate from a remainder of the seal plate in a worn seal condition in which the seal carrier contacts the seal plate.