Seal
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorMark E. Addis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seal apparatus provides the seal between inner and outer elements. The seal apparatus has a flexible sealing element for forming a seal with a first of the inner and outer elements. At least one support element is secured to the sealing element. The seal further includes means for magnetically interacting with the first element to bias the seal relative to the first element.
Claims11
An annular brush seal for providing a seal between inner and outer elements comprising:
- a bristle pack having first and second sides and an inboard tip portion for forming a seal with the inner element and an outboard root portion;
- at least one support element on at least one of the first and second sides secured to the bristle pack and rigid relative to the bristle pack;
- and
- at least one seal magnetic element comprising an alnico magnet positioned to magnetically interact with the inner element.
An annular brush seal for providing a seal between inner and outer elements comprising:
- a bristle pack having first and second sides and an inboard tip portion for forming a seal with the inner element and an outboard root portion;
- at least one support element on at least one of the first and second sides secured to the bristle pack and rigid relative to the bristle pack;
- and
- at least one seal magnetic element positioned to magnetically interact with the inner element so as to be biased by the inner element.
A turbine engine comprising:
- a support structure having a first axis;
- a rotor shaft carried by the support structure and having:
- a rotor axis;
- and
- at least one rotor magnetic element;
- a seal assembly carried by the support structure circumscribing the shaft and having:
- a seal axis;
- a flexible sealing element for sealing with the shaft;
- and
- at least one seal magnetic element positioned to magnetically interact with said at least one rotor magnetic element to bias the seal assembly toward a coaxial relation with the shaft.
A seal for providing a seal between inner and outer elements comprising:
- a flexible sealing element for forming a seal with a first of the inner and outer elements;
- at least one support element secured to the sealing element;
- and
- means for magnetically interacting with the first element to bias the seal relative to the first element the means carried by the at least one support element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.