Skirted seal apparatus
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJames Shealy, Donald M. Corsmeier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatuses are provided herein useful to sealing a gap between a movable flap and a stationary structure, such as a gap between a gas turbine engine nozzle flap and a corresponding sidewall. An apparatus for sealing such a gap may be a dynamic skirted leaf seal which may include a flap arm, a wall arm opposite the flap arm, and a support arm disposed between the flap and wall arms. A distal end portion of the flap arm may comprise a first skirt and a distal end portion of the support arm may comprise a second skirt that engages the first skirt. When positioned in a gap, the skirted leaf seal may exert a force to urge the first flap arm towards the flap and to urge the wall arm and the support arm towards the structure to seal the gap.
Claims20
A seal apparatus, comprising:
- a first seal having a first proximal end portion, a first distal end portion with a first bend, and a first skirt extending away from the first bend;
- a second seal opposite the first seal and defining an interior space therebetween, the second seal having a second proximal end portion coupled to the first proximal end portion and a second distal end portion, the first skirt extending into the interior space;
- and
- a support associated with the second seal, the support being disposed in the interior space,
- wherein the first seal biases away from the second seal to seal a gap between a movable flap and a stationary structure.
A gas turbine nozzle, comprising:
- a sidewall;
- a movable flap adjacent the sidewall;
- and
- a seal apparatus disposed between the sidewall and the movable flap to seal a gap between the sidewall and the movable flap, the seal apparatus operably coupled to the moveable flap and comprising:
- a first seal having a first proximal end portion, a first distal end portion with a first bend, and a first skirt extending away from the first bend;
- a second seal opposite the first seal and defining an interior space therebetween, the second seal having a second proximal end portion coupled to the first proximal end portion of the first seal, the first skirt extending into the interior space;
- and
- a support arm associated with the second seal, the support being disposed in the interior space,
- wherein the first seal biases away from the second seal to seal the gap.
A method of sealing a dynamic gap using a seal apparatus, the seal apparatus comprising:
- a first seal having a first proximal end portion, a first distal end portion with a first bend, and a first skirt extending away from the first bend;
- a second seal opposite the first seal and defining an interior space therebetween, the second seal having a second distal end portion and a second proximal end portion coupled to the first proximal end portion, the first skirt extending into the interior space;
- and a support associated with the second seal, the support being disposed in the interior space, wherein the first seal biases away from the second seal, the method comprising:
- contacting at least two surfaces with the first distal end portion and the second distal end portion;
- and
- moving automatically at least the second distal end portion relative to one of the at least two surfaces in response to the gap changing size.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.