Turbine engine adaptive low leakage air seal
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorGary D. Roberge
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air seal includes a sealing gland configured to retain a ferro-fluid and one or more seals. A portion of the one or more seals is configured to extend into the sealing gland. A gas turbine engine, includes the air seal. A method of sealing low pressure air from high pressure air, includes the steps of providing a sealing gland configured to retain a ferro-fluid, distributing the ferro-fluid into the sealing gland, providing one or more seals, wherein a portion of the one or more seals is configured to extend into the sealing gland, and removing the ferro-fluid from the sealing gland.
Claims16
A seal, comprising:
- a sealing gland configured to retain a ferro-fluid;
- and
- at least one rotating seal, the rotating seal arranged perpendicular to an axis of rotation of a rotating component;
- wherein at least a portion of the one or more rotating seals extends into the sealing gland, the sealing gland defined by an annular channel having lateral spaced apart walls, the rotating seal arranged at a location axially between the walls, and
- wherein the at least one rotating seal is an airfoil tip seal, and the rotating component is an airfoil blade.
A gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a combustor section arranged fluidly between a compressor section and a turbine section:
- a high pressure area;
- a low pressure area, the high and low pressure areas arranged in one of the compressor and turbine sections;
- a sealing gland subject to a magnetic field and configured to retain a ferro-fluid;
- and a rotating component having at least one seal configured to seal the high pressure area from the low pressure area, at least a portion of the at least one seal extending into the sealing gland;
- and
- wherein the at least one rotating seal is a knife edge seal, and the rotating component is one of a turbine and a compressor.
A method of sealing low pressure air from high pressure air in a gas turbine engine, comprising the steps of:
- providing a sealing gland configured to retain a ferro-fluid;
- distributing the ferro-fluid into the sealing gland;
- providing at least one rotating seal, the rotating seal perpendicular to an axis of rotation of a rotating component, wherein at least a portion of the one or more rotating seals extends into the sealing gland, the sealing gland defined by an annular channel having lateral spaced apart walls , the seal arranged at a location axially between the walls;
- removing the ferro-fluid from the sealing gland;
- and
- wherein the at least one rotating seal is an airfoil tip seal, and the rotating component is an airfoil blade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.