Spring-Loaded Brush Seal for Axial Movement and Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current brush seal designs for gas turbine engines face difficulties in applications with both axial movement and high pressure differentials, leading to bristle blow-over and leakage across the sealing interface.
Innovation Solution
A brush seal with a spring-loaded backing plate and support structure that compresses and decompresses in response to axial translation, maintaining contact with the sealing surface and reducing bristle overhang, thereby minimizing leakage and distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a brush seal is used in applications with axial movement and high pressure differentials, then the seal can handle both axial translation and pressure differential, but the bristles experience blow-over and leakage across the sealing interface
Solution Approach 1:
The backing plate is made spring-loaded to dynamically adapt to axial movements and pressure differentials. The spring mechanism allows the backing plate to compress and expand axially, maintaining continuous contact with the sealing surface while accommodating thermal expansion and translation of the seal cavity components.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded backing plate changes its axial position and compression state in response to varying pressure differentials and thermal conditions. This parameter change allows the seal to maintain optimal bristle contact with the sealing surface under varying operating conditions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the backing plate is spring-loaded to accommodate axial movement, then the seal can handle thermal expansion and translation, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded backing plate performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the bristles, accommodates axial movements from thermal expansion, compensates for pressure differentials, and maintains continuous contact with the sealing surface. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism automatically adjusts the backing plate position and compression in response to changing operating conditions without external control. The spring self-regulates to maintain optimal seal contact under varying thermal and pressure conditions.
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 spring-loaded support plate effectively reduces bristle deflection and leakage by maintaining continuous contact with the sealing surface, enhancing the sealing performance even under varying pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a spring-loaded support plate configured to compress and decompress in response to axial translation of one or more of the engine components
Implementation Method 2
the spring-loaded support plate... maintaining contact with the sealing surface
Implementation Method 3
maintaining contact with the sealing surface and reducing bristle overhang, thereby minimizing leakage and distortion
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The present invention relates to a brush seal (116; 216; 316) for a gas turbine engine (20), comprising a backing plate (120; 320), a spring-loaded support plate (125; 225; 325) and a plurality of bristles (118; 218; 318) located over the spring-loaded support plate (125; 225; 325). The spring-loaded support plate (125; 225; 325) comprises a support bar (126; 226; 326) and a plurality of arms (124; 224; 324) extending from the support bar (126; 226; 326). The support arms (124; 224; 324) being supported by the backing plate (120; 320) are configured to apply a biasing load to the support bar (126; 226; 326). Thus, substantially the entire length of the bristles (118; 218; 318) is supported and the reduction of unsupported bristle overhang tends to limit bristle deflection, thus, reducing distortion of brush seal (116; 216; 316) and decrease leakage across the sealing interface.