Compliant foil seal
AssigneeMohawk Innovative Technology, Inc.
InventorHooshang Heshmat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compliant foil seal comprising at least one smooth resilient foil for facing a rotor and at least one bump foil for providing film riding stiffness and controlled deformation of the smooth resilient foil for providing an effective seal which is capable of operating reliably in the presence of large rotor excursions.
Claims20
A combination of seal and housing, said housing having a circumferentially extending slot, a smooth resilient foil having a first portion shaped for extending circumferentially about a rotor over a distance axially of the rotor and a second portion comprising a flange which extends radially outwardly from one end axially of said first portion for extending circumferentially about the rotor and which engages said circumferentially extending slot, and at least one foil element having a corrugated shape to define a plurality of ridges for bearing against said smooth resilient foil, said foil element disposed between said first portion of said smooth resilient foil and said housing for resiliently supporting said smooth resilient foil to compliantly face the rotor.
A combination of seal and housing comprising, at least two smooth resilient foils each having a first portion shaped for extending circumferentially about a rotor over a distance axially of the rotor and a second portion comprising a flange which extends radially outwardly from one end axially of said first portion for extending circumferentially about the rotor, a circumferentially extending slot in said housing in which said flanges are received, means in each said flange defining a plurality of flange portions separated by a plurality of radially extending slits, said foils being disposed so that each of the slits of each of said foils is covered by one of said flange portions of an other of said foils, and at least one element having a corrugated shape disposed between said first portions of said smooth resilient foils and said housing for resiliently supporting said smooth resilient foils to compliantly face the rotor.
A combination of seal and housing comprising, at least one smooth resilient foil having at least a portion thereof which is shaped for extending circumferentially about a rotor over a distance axially of the rotor between a pair of ends of said smooth resilient foil portion and at least one foil element having a corrugated shape to define a plurality of ridges and disposed between said smooth resilient foil portion and said housing for resiliently supporting said smooth resilient foil portion to compliantly face the rotor, said foil element having a pair of axially spaced ends and a stiffness which increases from one to an other of said ends thereof, and one of said ends of said smooth resilient foil portion is engaged over the circumference thereof to said housing to effect sealing between opposite sides axially of the seal.
A combination of seal and housing comprising, said housing having a circumferentially extending slot, at least one smooth resilient foil having a first portion shaped for extending distance to engage a runner of the rotor and a second portion comprising a flange which extends axially from a radially outer end of said first portion for extending circumferentially about the rotor and which engages said circumferentially extending slot, and at least one foil element having a corrugated shape to define a plurality of ridges for bearing against said smooth resilient foil, said foil element disposed between said first portion of said smooth resilient foil and said housing for resiliently supporting said smooth resilient foil to compliantly face the rotor runner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.