Segmented Sliding Seal With Wave Spring for High-Deflection Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seals in gas turbine engines face challenges with deformation and failure due to significant deflections and elevated temperatures, leading to inefficiencies in sealing effectiveness and reduced component life.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a wave spring and compliant seals within C-shaped or L-shaped seal sections that move relative to each other, utilizing a wave spring to bias the seal sections and maintain contact with adjacent components, ensuring effective sealing despite relative motion and temperature variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal w-seal is used to seal the gas path, then the seal can prevent secondary flow loss, but the seal deforms and becomes ineffective when subjected to significant deflections
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple segments or sections that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows each section to accommodate deflection and relative motion between components while maintaining the overall sealing function, preventing the entire seal from deforming失效 under significant deflection conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The seal design incorporates dynamic elements that allow the seal sections to move and adapt to changing conditions. The seal transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system that can accommodate relative motion and deflection between turbine components while maintaining sealing effectiveness
2Strength
If a higher strength material is used to improve deflection capability, then the seal can withstand greater deflections, but the temperature capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The seal employs composite material construction combining different materials with complementary properties. This allows the seal to achieve both high deflection capability through flexible material sections and high temperature capability through heat-resistant material sections, eliminating the trade-off between strength and temperature resistance
3Temperature
If a rope seal is used to achieve high temperature capability, then the seal can withstand elevated temperatures, but the seal has even less flexibility and cannot accommodate deflections
Solution Approach 1:
The rope seal is segmented into multiple sections that can move independently, introducing flexibility to the otherwise rigid high-temperature seal. This segmentation allows the seal to accommodate deflections and relative motion between components while maintaining its high temperature capability
Solution Approach 2:
The seal design incorporates dynamic movement capability between seal sections, transforming the static rope seal into a dynamic system that can adapt to relative motion and deflection while maintaining contact with the sealing surfaces under elevated temperature conditions
4Reliability
If a seal is designed to accommodate significant relative motion between components, then the seal can maintain sealing effectiveness, but wear resistance becomes a problem
Solution Approach 1:
The seal design introduces intermediary elements such as wave springs and compliant seal sections that mediate between the moving components. These intermediaries absorb the wear from relative motion through their elastic deformation and damping characteristics, protecting the main sealing surfaces from direct wear while maintaining sealing effectiveness
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 enhances the resilience and temperature capability of the seals, reducing the risk of deformation and leakage, while allowing for lower strength materials to be used, thus improving durability and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a wave spring disposed within the first cavity between the first substantially C-shaped seal section and the second substantially C-shaped seal section and operative to bias the first substantially C-shaped seal section away from the second substantially C-shaped seal section
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates generally to a sliding seal between two components. The sliding seal includes a first seal section and an uncoupled second seal section which allows the first and second seal sections to move relative to one another during relative movement between the two components. A wave spring disposed between the first and second seal sections biases the first and second seal sections away from one another. A compliant seal is carried by the second seal section. Other combinations of seal sections, wave springs, and compliant seals are also disclosed.