# US 12,180,843 B2 · Resiliently deformable seal runner

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- Number: US 12,180,843 B2
- Document ID: US12180843B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/188,917
- Filed: 2023-03-23
- Published: 2024-09-26
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2023-03-23
- Assignees: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
- Applicants: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
- Inventors: Julien Marleau-Finley
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12180843B2

## CPC

- F01D 11/003: {by packing rings; Mechanical seals}
- F01D 11/025: {Seal clearance control; Floating assembly; Adaptation means to differential thermal dilatations}
- F01D 25/162: {Bearing supports}
- F16J 15/441: {with floating ring}
- F05D 2220/323: for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- F16J: PISTONS {(specially adapted for dampers F16F9/32)}; CYLINDERS; SEALINGS
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS

## Abstract

An aircraft engine, has: a shaft rotatable about a central axis; a housing mounted around the shaft; and a seal assembly disposed radially between the shaft and the housing relative to the central axis, the seal assembly having: a sealing ring mounted to the housing, and a seal runner secured to the shaft, the seal runner extending radially relative to the central axis from an inner face facing the shaft to an outer face facing the sealing ring and being radially spaced apart from the sealing ring by a gap, the seal runner resiliently deformable from an at-rest shape where no axial compression force is exerted on the seal runner to a pre-loaded shape where the seal runner is axially clamped on the shaft by an axial compression force, an outer diameter of the outer face greater in the pre-loaded shape than in the at-rest shape.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An aircraft engine, comprising:
a shaft rotatable about a central axis;
a housing mounted around the shaft, the shaft rotatable relative to the housing; and
a seal assembly disposed radially between the shaft and the housing relative to the central axis, the seal assembly having:
a sealing ring mounted to the housing, and
a seal runner secured to the shaft, the seal runner extending radially relative to the central axis from an inner face facing the shaft to an outer face facing the sealing ring and being radially spaced apart from the sealing ring by a gap, the seal runner resiliently deformable from an at-rest shape where no axial compression force is exerted on the seal runner to a pre-loaded shape where the seal runner is axially clamped on the shaft by an axial compression force,
an outer diameter of the outer face greater in the pre-loaded shape than in the at-rest shape;
wherein the inner face has a curved section having a first curvature in the at-rest shape and a second curvature in the pre-loaded shape, the second curvature greater than the first curvature.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The aircraft engine of claim 1, wherein the seal runner includes a base secured to the shaft and defining the inner face, a sealing flange secured to the base and defining the outer face, and a web connecting the sealing flange to the base, an intersection between the web and the base axially overlapping a curved section of the inner face.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The aircraft engine of claim 2, wherein the base has a U-shape cross-section taken in a plane containing the central axis.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The aircraft engine of claim 3, wherein the intersection between the web and the base is located at an apex of the curved section of the inner face.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The aircraft engine of claim 2, wherein an axial width of the base is greater in the at-rest shape than in the pre-loaded shape.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The aircraft engine of claim 1, wherein the inner face further includes a first seat section and a second seat section, the curved section disposed between the first seat section and the second seat section, the first seat and the second seat sections in abutment against the shaft.

### Claim 7

A seal assembly, comprising:
a sealing ring circumferentially extending around a central axis; and
a seal runner disposed radially inwardly of the sealing ring relative to the central axis, the seal runner having an inner face facing the central axis, and an outer face facing the sealing ring and spaced apart from the sealing ring by a gap,
wherein the seal runner is resiliently deformable from an at-rest shape where no axial compression force is exerted on the seal runner to a pre-loaded shape when an axial compression force above a threshold is exerted on the seal runner, a radial height of the gap decreasing from the at-rest shape to the pre-loaded shape of the seal runner;
wherein the inner face includes a first seat section, a second seat section, and a curved section between the first seat section and the second seat section, the first seat and the second seat sections abuttable against a shaft.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The seal assembly of claim 7, wherein the curved section has a first curvature in the at-rest shape and a second curvature in the pre-loaded shape, the second curvature greater than the first curvature.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The seal assembly of claim 7, wherein the seal runner includes a base defining the inner face, a sealing flange secured to the base and defining the outer face, and a web connecting the sealing flange to the base, an intersection between the web and the base axially overlapping a curved section of the inner face.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The seal assembly of claim 9, wherein the base has a U-shape cross-section taken in a plane containing the central axis.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The seal assembly of claim 10, wherein the intersection between the web and the base is located at an apex of the curved section of the inner face.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The seal assembly of claim 9, wherein an axial width of the base is greater in the at-rest shape than in the pre-loaded shape.

### Claim 13

A method of sealing a cavity disposed radially between a housing and a shaft of an aircraft engine, the method comprising:
permitting a flow of compressed air into the cavity through a gap defined between a seal runner and a sealing ring of a seal, the gap having a radial height; and
at least partially compensating for a decrease in the radial height caused by thermal growth and centrifugal force by resiliently deforming the seal runner with a decrease in a compressive axial force exerted on the seal runner, wherein the seal runner has an inner face facing the shaft, and wherein the resiliently deforming of the seal runner includes decreasing a curvature of the inner face.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the decreasing of the curvature of the inner face includes moving a curved section of the inner face towards the shaft.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the seal runner includes a base secured to the shaft and defining the inner face of the seal runner, a sealing flange secured to the base and defining the outer face, and a web connecting the sealing flange to the base, an intersection between the web and the base axially overlapping a curved section of the inner face, the resiliently deforming of the seal runner includes moving the intersection towards the shaft.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the intersection between the web and the base is located at an apex of the curved section of the inner face.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the resiliently deforming the seal runner includes increasing an axial width of the seal runner.