Winged W-seal
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsSusan M. Tholen, Paul M. Lutjen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seal assembly has a first seal member, a second seal member, and a third seal member. The first seal member has a wear surface that contacts a first wall of the cavity at two sealing locations. The second seal member has a wear surface that contacts a second wall of the cavity at two sealing locations. The third seal member extends between and resiliently connects the first seal member to the second seal member.
Claims14
A seal assembly for use in a cavity of a gas turbine engine, the cavity having a first wall, a second wall and a third wall, the seal assembly comprising:
- a first seal member having an undulating wear surface that contacts the first wall of the cavity at a first inner sealing surface and a first outer sealing surface, and the third wall of the cavity at a third sealing surface;
- a second seal member having an undulating wear surface that contacts the second wall of the cavity at a second inner sealing surface and a second outer sealing surface, and the third wall of the cavity at a fourth sealing surface;
- and
- a third seal member attached to the first seal member at a first joint located between the first inner sealing surface and the first outer sealing surface, and attached to the second seal member at a second joint located between the second inner sealing surface and the second outer sealing surface, such that the third seal member forms a resilient connection between the first seal member and the second seal member, wherein the first seal member and the second seal member are both thicker than the third seal member.
A seal assembly for a cavity having a first axial wall, a second axial wall and a third wall, the seal assembly comprising:
- a first seal member having a wear surface that contacts the first axial wall of the cavity at two sealing locations, wherein the first seal member further contacts the third wall of the cavity at a third sealing location;
- a second seal member having a wear surface that contacts the second axial wall of the cavity at two sealing locations, wherein the second seal member further contacts the third wall of the cavity at a fourth location;
- and
- a third seal member extending between and resiliently connecting the first seal member to the second seal member without contacting any wall of the cavity, wherein the third seal member has a wavy configuration and comprises a metallic material.
A method of sealing a cavity in a gas turbine engine, the cavity including a first wall, a second wall and a third wall, the method comprising:
- attaching a first seal member to a second seal member with a third seal member, the third sealing member having an undulating configuration and comprising a metallic material;
- contacting the cavity at three or more sealing surfaces with the first sealing member, wherein at least two of the sealing surfaces of the first sealing member contact the first wall of the cavity and a third of the sealing surfaces of the first sealing member contacts the third wall of the cavity;
- and
- contacting a second wall of the cavity at three or more sealing surfaces with the second sealing member, wherein at least two of the sealing surfaces of the second sealing member contact the first wall of the cavity and a third of the sealing surfaces of the second sealing member contacts the third wall of the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.