# US 9,435,266 B2 · Seals for a gas turbine engine

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- Number: US 9,435,266 B2
- Document ID: US9435266B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/137,400
- Filed: 2013-12-20
- Published: 2014-09-18
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-15
- Assignees: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
- Applicants: Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: David L. Sutterfield; Gregory W.P. Zeaton
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435266B2

## CPC

- F01D 11/003: {by packing rings; Mechanical seals}
- F01D 25/28: Supporting or mounting arrangements, e.g. for turbine casing
- F02C 7/28: Arrangement of seals
- F02K 1/805: {Sealing devices therefor, e.g. for movable parts of jet pipes or nozzle flaps}
- F16J 15/0812: {with a braided or knitted body}
- F16J 15/104: {characterised by structure}
- F05D 2220/32: in gas turbines
- F05D 2230/60: Assembly methods
- F05D 2240/55: Seals
- Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
- Y10T 29/49297: Seal or packing making
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00)
- F02K: JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (features of jet-propulsion plants common to gas-turbine plants, air intakes or fuel supply control of air-breathing jet-propulsion plants F02C7/00, F02C9/00)
- 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
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A sealing assembly may include a support, an engine component, and a seal. The engine component may be mounted relative to the support to define a gap between the engine component and the support. The seal may be arranged between the support and the engine component to block gasses from passing through the gap. The seal may be adapted to compress and expand to fill the gap during expansion and contraction of the adjacent components that occurs during operation of a gas turbine engine including the sealing assembly.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A sealing assembly comprising
a support having a support-seal surface,
an engine component having a component-seal surface, the engine component mounted so that the component-seal surface is arranged in spaced-apart confronting relation with the support-seal surface to define a gap between the support and the engine component that grows and shrinks based on the temperature of the support and the engine component, and
a seal adapted to block gasses from passing through the gap between the support and the engine component, the seal including a mount ring coupled to the support and spaced apart from the engine component, a ceramic tadpole gasket having a compressible head held in contact with the engine component by the mount ring and a flat body extending from the compressible head into a retention channel formed by the mount ring, and a retainer ring arranged to extend into the retention channel of the mount ring to trap the flat body of the tadpole gasket in the retention channel formed by the mount ring so that the tadpole gasket is coupled to the mount ring,
wherein the mount ring includes a spring portion having a U-shaped cross-section and the spring portion is configured to push the compressible head of the ceramic tadpole gasket into contact with the engine component, the U-shaped cross-section of the spring portion included in the mount ring having legs that extend generally parallel to the component seal surface of the engine component.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The sealing assembly of claim 1, wherein the mount ring includes a coupler portion extending from the spring portion of the mount ring, the coupler portion of the mount ring is coupled to the support by fasteners that extend through the coupler portion of the mount ring and into the support, and the retainer ring includes a coupler portion that overlaps the coupler portion of the mount ring and through which the fasters extend.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The sealing assembly of claim 2, wherein the mount ring includes a curved pusher portion coupled to the spring portion, the curved pusher portion extends around a portion of the compressible head included in the tadpole gasket, and the curved pusher portion engages the compressible head.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The sealing assembly of claim 3, wherein the retainer ring includes a keeper portion arranged to extend outside the retention channel and the curved pusher portion of the mount ring and the keeper portion of the retainer ring cooperate to define a gasket channel sized to receive a portion of the compressible head and arranged to open toward the component-seal surface of the engine component.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The sealing assembly of claim 4, wherein the retainer ring includes a spring portion having a U-shaped cross-section and arranged to nest inside the spring portion of the mount ring so that the flat body of the tadpole gasket is trapped between the spring portion of the retainer ring and the spring portion of the mount ring.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The sealing assembly of claim 1, wherein the support-seal surface and the component-seal surface are continuous.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The sealing assembly of claim 1, wherein the support is made from a metallic material and the engine component is made from a composite material.

### Claim 8

A seal adapted for use in a gas turbine engine, the seal comprising
a mount ring formed to include a retention channel,
a ceramic tadpole gasket having a compressible head and a flat body extending from the compressible head into the retention channel formed by the mount ring, and
a retainer ring arranged in the retention channel of the mount ring and sized to trap the flat body of the tadpole gasket in the retention channel formed by the mount ring so that the tadpole gasket is coupled to the mount ring,
wherein the mount ring includes a spring portion having a U-shaped cross-section forming legs and a bottom that interconnects the legs, and the bottom of the U-shaped cross-section of the spring portion included in the mount ring is spaced apart from the compressible head of the ceramic tadpole gasket.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The seal of claim 8, wherein the mount ring includes a coupler portion extending from the spring portion of the mount ring, the coupler portion of the mount ring is adapted to couple to a support by fasteners that extend through the coupler portion of the mount ring, and the retainer ring includes a coupler portion that overlaps the coupler portion of the mount ring and through which the fasters extend.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The seal of claim 8, wherein the mount ring includes a curved pusher portion coupled to the spring portion of the mount ring, the curved pusher portion extends around a portion of the compressible head included in the tadpole gasket, and the curved pusher portion is arranged to engage the compressible head.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The seal of claim 10, wherein the retainer ring includes a keeper portion arranged to extend outside the retention channel and blocks the compressible head of the tadpole gasket from movement away from the curved pusher portion of the mount ring.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The seal of claim 11, wherein the mount ring and retainer ring are annular and the curved pusher portion of the mount ring and the keeper portion of the retainer ring cooperate to define an annular gasket channel sized to receive a portion of the compressible head and arranged to open radially outward.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The seal of claim 11, wherein the mount ring and the retainer ring are annular and the retainer ring includes a spring portion having a U-shaped cross-section arranged to nest inside the spring portion of the mount ring so that the flat body of the tadpole gasket is trapped between the spring portion of the retainer ring and the spring portion of the mount ring.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The seal of claim 8, further comprising a staple extending through the flat body of the ceramic tadpole gasket and at least one of the mount ring and the retainer ring.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The seal of claim 8, further comprising ceramic paper located between the mount ring and the retainer ring.

### Claim 16 (depends on 8)

The seal of claim 8, wherein the ceramic tadpole gasket further includes a retention tail coupled to the flat body opposite the compressible head.

### Claim 17

A method of assembling a seal for a gas turbine engine comprising
positioning a flat body included in a ceramic tadpole gasket into a retention channel formed by a mount ring; the ceramic tadpole gasket including a compressible head and the flat body, and the flat body extending from the compressible head; and
inserting a retainer ring into the retention channel formed by the mount ring to trap the flat body of the ceramic tadpole gasket in the retention channel so that the ceramic tadpole gasket is coupled to the mount ring and the compressible head of the ceramic tadpole gasket is held in position by the mount ring,
wherein the mount ring includes a spring portion having a U-shaped cross-section forming legs and a bottom that interconnects the legs, and the bottom of the U-shaped cross-section of the spring portion included in the mount ring is spaced apart from the compressible head of the ceramic tadpole gasket.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising fastening the flat body of the ceramic tadpole gasket to the mount ring with a staple.