Wedge Adapter Seal Assembly for Confined Rigid Conduit Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
In gas turbine engines, the assembly and maintenance of rigid conduit assemblies in confined spaces, such as near the engine case and within the nacelle, are challenging due to cramped conditions, making it difficult to install or remove components with interconnecting rigid conduits without causing damage or interference with surrounding hardware.
Innovation Solution
A wedge adapter seal system comprising a hard tube with a radially projecting flange and a wedge-shaped body, featuring a multi-lobed structure and a traveling flange with specific geometries, allows for axial and rotational manipulation of the hard tube and components, enabling easier installation and maintenance by providing a fluid communication path while minimizing scratching and binding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional rigid conduit assemblies are used in confined spaces, then structural stability and fluid sealing are maintained, but assembly and maintenance become extremely difficult due to cramped conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The conduit assembly is divided into separate components: a wedge adapter seal assembly and a rigid conduit. The wedge adapter seal can be independently installed and removed, allowing technicians to service components without handling the entire conduit assembly. This segmentation makes assembly and maintenance much easier in confined spaces while maintaining the structural integrity of the rigid conduit portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge adapter seal incorporates a traveling flange that can move axially along the hard tube, transforming a static rigid connection into a dynamically adjustable connection. This dynamic feature allows the assembly to be installed and removed easily by sliding the flange, while maintaining a stable sealed connection during operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If rigid conduit assemblies with interconnecting components are used, then fluid sealing is maintained, but removal and reinstallation cause scratching and binding in confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing the entire rigid conduit assembly for maintenance, the design allows the wedge adapter seal to be independently removed and reinstalled. The traveling flange mechanism enables this by allowing the seal portion to be slid off and back on without removing the rigid conduit, thereby preventing scratching and binding of the conduit in confined spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge adapter seal acts as an intermediary component between the rigid conduit and the component being serviced. It provides a removable sealing interface that mediates between the need for a stable rigid connection and the need for easy maintenance access, preventing direct contact and potential damage between the conduit and serviced components during maintenance operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional sealing mechanisms are used, then fluid communication is established, but assembly requires complex alignment and positioning in cramped conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge adapter seal features an asymmetric wedge-shaped body with a specific angular geometry that guides alignment during assembly. The asymmetric traveling flange with its convex sides forming a Reuleaux triangle or similar geometry provides inherent alignment features that guide the assembly into the correct position without requiring complex external alignment tools or procedures in cramped conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge adapter seal design incorporates self-aligning features where the geometry of the wedge body and traveling flange automatically guides the assembly into proper alignment during installation. The asymmetric shapes and clearance envelopes work together to self-correct minor misalignments, eliminating the need for precise manual alignment or specialized alignment tools in confined assembly spaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A wedge adapter seal may comprise a hard tube having a radially projecting flange and a wedge shaped body comprising a base flange and extending between a base flange face and a sealing face, wherein the hard tube is in fluid communication with the wedge shaped body with the radially projecting flange coupled proximate the sealing face. A wedge adapter seal may further comprise a ferrule coupled to the hard tube, wherein the ferrule comprises the radially projecting flange, a traveling flange disposed about the hard tube and configured to travel axially with respect to the hard tube, wherein the traveling flange comprises at least one of a triangular geometry having convex sides forming a Reuleaux triangle, a circular geometry, a rectangular geometry, a square geometry, or an oblique geometry.