Turbine engine seal for high erosion environment
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorChristopher W. Strock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine includes an inlet duct, a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section connected to drive the compressor section. The compressor section includes circumferentially-spaced blades having abrasive blade tips. A seal is disposed radially outwards of the blades. The seal includes a substrate that has a substrate hardness, an abradable layer that has an abradable layer hardness, and a hard interlayer between the substrate and the abradable layer. The hard interlayer has an interlayer hardness that is higher than the abradable layer hardness and higher than the substrate hardness.
Claims20
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- an inlet duct and a compressor section connected with the inlet duct, the compressor section including a plurality of circumferentially-spaced blades having abrasive blade tips;
- a combustor section;
- a turbine section connected to drive the compressor section;
- a seal disposed radially outwards of the blades, the seal including
- a substrate having a substrate hardness,
- an abradable layer having an abradable layer hardness, and
- a hard interlayer between the substrate and the abradable layer, the hard interlayer having an interlayer hardness that is higher than the abradable layer hardness and higher than the substrate hardness.
A seal for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a substrate having a substrate hardness;
- an abradable layer having an abradable layer hardness;
- and
- a hard interlayer between the substrate and the abradable layer, the hard interlayer having an interlayer hardness that is higher than the abradable layer hardness and higher than the substrate hardness.
A method for repairing a seal of gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- subjecting a seal to a stripping process, the seal having
- a substrate that has a substrate hardness,
- an abradable layer having an abradable layer hardness, and
- a hard interlayer between the substrate and the abradable layer, the hard interlayer having an interlayer hardness that is higher than the abradable layer hardness and higher than the substrate hardness,
- wherein the stripping process removes the abradable layer and leaves intact the hard interlayer on the substrate;
- and
- depositing a new abradable layer on the hard interlayer to form a refurbished seal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.