Aircraft Turbine Sealing Tab With Deformable Intermediate Part
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing turbine engine nozzle sealing technologies face challenges such as difficulties in mounting, lack of control over tab position during operation, occasional loss of tabs, leaks between tabs, and wear on opposite parts, leading to performance deterioration and increased maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
The use of tabs with two bulging ends joined by a thinner intermediate part, which can deform into a flat position when excess pressure is applied, ensuring efficient sealing by creating a planar contact with the slot walls, and the design of slots with reducing cross-sections and cylindrical-plan contacts to minimize leaks and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tabs are made as straight flat strips arranged one over the other, then the overall width increases to reduce bypass gas leaks, but mounting difficulties increase due to stacking of small parts
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple straight flat strips into a single integrated tab component with a continuous structure. The tab includes a body portion and multiple sealing portions that extend from the body, eliminating the need to stack and assemble multiple separate strips. This integration maintains the cumulative sealing width while significantly simplifying mounting operations.
2Device complexity
If tabs are made as straight flat strips, then the structure is simple, but control over tab position during operation is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The tab design incorporates dynamic positioning capabilities through its geometric features. The body portion includes engagement surfaces that interact with corresponding features in the nozzle and shroud, allowing the tab to maintain controlled position during operation. The sealing portions can deflect independently to accommodate thermal expansion and vibration while remaining positioned by the body structure.
3Ease of operation
If tabs are used in through-hole slots, then mounting is facilitated, but wear on opposite parts occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The tab body is designed with controlled flexibility to reduce wear. The body portion includes a thickness that allows it to deflect and conform to the slot geometry without creating concentrated stress points. This flexibility enables the tab to accommodate thermal expansion and vibration while maintaining contact with the slot walls, reducing wear on both the tab and the slot surfaces.
4Ease of manufacture
If straight tabs are used, then manufacturing is simple, but leaks occur between tabs particularly at intersection points
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing portions of the tab are designed with curved or rounded profiles rather than sharp straight edges. The sealing portions extend from the body and are shaped to conform to the cylindrical geometry of the nozzle and shroud. This curvature ensures continuous sealing contact around the circumference, eliminating gaps that would occur at intersection points of straight tabs.
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 solution effectively reduces leaks and wear, ensuring a stable and efficient sealing mechanism that maintains performance even under high pressure and temperature conditions, preventing radial and axial leaks and promoting optimized sealing in turbine engine nozzles.
Implementation Method 1
each of the two bulging ends of one said tab and the thinner intermediate part that joins them having a connection between them that is shaped so as to flatten itself in its respective slot, by bracing the tab and deforming said connection towards a flat position, when excess pressure is applied from one side of the tab on its intermediate part
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a tab (5) for a sealing gasket device of a part of an aircraft gas turbine engine. The tab is arranged in respective slots of adjacent sectorized parts of the turbine engine nozzle. This tab has two bulging ends (51a, 51b) joined by a thinner intermediate part (51c) each having a connection with the other (53a, 53b), which can deform into a flat position by bracing the tab, when excess pressure is applied to its intermediate part from one side of the tab.