Wire Mesh Brush Seal Cover for Bristle Windage Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional brush seals in aircraft engines face issues with bristle protection due to exposure to windage, leading to bristle loosening or breakage, and existing covers such as plate and sheet metal covers have manufacturing challenges and susceptibility to degradation.
Innovation Solution
A brush seal design incorporating a wire mesh windage cover positioned between two plates, with the wire mesh being a metal alloy and potentially coated with ceramic, to protect the bristle pack from airflow excitations, and a manufacturing method involving electron beam or laser welding and mechanical attachment techniques to form a robust seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a plate cover is used to protect the bristles, then the bristles are protected from windage, but the seal becomes bulky and heavier with manufacturing difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The windage cover is segmented into a wire mesh structure rather than a solid plate, dividing the protective function into a grid pattern that maintains protection while reducing material usage and structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The wire mesh acts as a thin, flexible protective layer that provides bristle protection without the bulk of a solid plate cover, allowing for a more compact and manufacturable seal design
2Device complexity
If a sheet metal cover is used to protect the bristles, then the seal structure is simplified, but the cover is susceptible to degradation due to handling
Solution Approach 1:
The wire mesh construction creates a composite structure that combines the simplicity of metal construction with enhanced durability, as the mesh pattern distributes stress and resistance to degradation while maintaining structural integrity
3Reliability
If the wire mesh length is equal to the bristle pack length, then the protection is optimized, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wire mesh length parameter can be varied relative to the bristle pack length (equal to, less than, or greater than) depending on specific protection needs, allowing optimization of the balance between protection effectiveness and manufacturing tolerance requirements
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 wire mesh windage cover effectively protects the bristle pack from airflow excitations, enhancing the seal's reliability and manufacturing ease while maintaining a lightweight and structurally sound design.
Implementation Method 1
the wire mesh is configured as a windage cover with respect to the bristle pack... the wire mesh is configured to protect the bristle pack with respect to an airflow associated with an engine
Implementation Method 2
the operation includes electron beam welding
Implementation Method 3
the operation includes laser welding
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure are directed to a brush seal comprising: a first plate, a wire mesh adjacent the first plate, a bristle pack adjacent the wire mesh, and a second plate adjacent the bristle pack. Aspects of the disclosure are directed to a method comprising: positioning a wire mesh adjacent to a first plate, positioning a bristle pack adjacent to the wire mesh, positioning a second plate adjacent to the bristle pack, applying a toolset to hold the first plate, the wire mesh, the bristle pack, and the second plate in a stack-up, and performing an operation to form a brush seal from the stack-up of the first plate, the wire mesh, the bristle pack, and the second plate.