Aspirating face seal with non-coiled retraction springs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359117-B2
Application number	US-201715450130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2017
Priority date	Mar 6, 2017
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

Aspirating face seal between high and low pressure regions of turbomachine between rotatable and non-rotatable members of turbomachine includes gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces, non-rotatable face surface mounted on annular slider on non-rotatable member. Retracting means retracts annular slider away from rotatable member and non-rotatable face surface away from rotatable surface and includes circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs axially disposed between slider and non-rotatable engine member. Leaf springs may include first and second ends mounted or attached to first and second mounting lugs or tabs attached to non-rotatable member and slider respectively and middle portion between ends. Springs oriented for retracting slider if slider contacts rotatable member. Primary and starter seal teeth may be mounted on carrier on rotatable member. Primary seal tooth may be on non-rotatable member and starter seal tooth on rotatable member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbomachine aspirating face seal assembly comprising:
an aspirating face seal operable for restricting leakage of high pressure air from a relatively high pressure region of an engine to a relatively low pressure region of the engine between a non-rotatable member of the engine and a rotatable member of the engine,
the rotatable and non rotatable engine members including gas bearing rotatable and non rotatable face surfaces respectively,
the non-rotatable face surface on an annular slider axially slidingly mounted on the non rotatable engine member,
a retracting means for retracting the annular slider away from the rotatable member and the non-rotatable face surface away from the rotatable surface,
the retracting means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs, and
each of the springs axially disposed between the slider and the non rotatable engine member;
further comprising each of the springs being a leaf spring including first and second ends and a substantially flat and straight middle portion therebetween, the first and second ends mounted or attached to first and second mounting lugs or tabs on or attached to the non rotatable member and the slider respectively; and
further comprising bolt holes in the first and second ends and a thickness in the first and second ends greater than a thickness in the middle portion.

2. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising thick to thin transition sections between the middle portion the first and second ends.

3. A turbomachine aspirating face seal assembly comprising:
an aspirating face seal operable for restricting leakage of high pressure air from a relatively high pressure region of an engine to a relatively low pressure region of the engine between a non-rotatable member of the engine and a rotatable member of the engine,
the rotatable and non rotatable engine members including gas bearing rotatable and non rotatable face surfaces respectively,
the non-rotatable face surface on an annular slider axially slidingly mounted on the non rotatable engine member,
a retracting means for retracting the annular slider away from the rotatable member and the non-rotatable face surface away from the rotatable surface,
the retracting means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs, and
each of the springs axially disposed between the slider and the non rotatable engine member;
further comprising each of the springs being a leaf spring including first and second ends and a substantially flat and straight middle portion therebetween, the first and second ends mounted or attached to first and second mounting lugs or tabs on or attached to the non rotatable member and the slider respectively; and
further comprising:
the first and second ends being diamond shaped,
the first and second ends having a greater height than the middle portion, and
the first and second ends and the middle portion having a uniform thickness.

4. A turbomachine aspirating face seal assembly comprising:
an aspirating face seal operable for restricting leakage of high pressure air from a relatively high pressure region of an engine to a relatively low pressure region of the engine between a non-rotatable member of the engine and a rotatable member of the engine,
the rotatable and non rotatable engine members including gas bearing rotatable and non rotatable face surfaces respectively,
the non-rotatable face surface on an annular slider axially slidingly mounted on the non rotatable engine member,
a retracting means for retracting the annular slider away from the rotatable member and the non-rotatable face surface away from the rotatable surface,
the retracting means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs, and
each of the springs axially disposed between the slider and the non rotatable engine member;
further comprising each of the springs being a leaf spring including first and second ends and a substantially flat and straight middle portion therebetween, the first and second ends mounted or attached to first and second mounting lugs or tabs on or attached to the non rotatable member and the slider respectively; and
further comprising a slotted or lattice structure in the middle portion including slots in the middle portion.

5. The seal assembly as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the middle portion having a height greater than the first and second ends.

6. A turbomachine aspirating face seal assembly comprising:
an aspirating face seal operable for restricting leakage of high pressure air from a relatively high pressure region of an engine to a relatively low pressure region of the engine between a non-rotatable member of the engine and a rotatable member of the engine,
the rotatable and non rotatable engine members including gas bearing rotatable and non rotatable face surfaces respectively,
the non-rotatable face surface on an annular slider axially slidingly mounted on the non rotatable engine member,
a retracting means for retracting the annular slider away from the rotatable member and the non-rotatable face surface away from the rotatable surface,
the retracting means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs, and
each of the springs axially disposed between the slider and the non rotatable engine member;
further comprising each of the springs being a leaf spring including first and second ends and a substantially flat and straight middle portion therebetween, the first and second ends mounted or attached to first and second mounting lugs or tabs on or attached to the non rotatable member and the slider respectively; and
further comprising:
the middle portion being tapered and having a variable height, and
the first and second ends and the middle portion having a uniform thickness.

7. A turbomachine aspirating face seal assembly comprising: an aspirating face seal operable for restricting leakage of high pressure air from a relatively high pressure region of an engine to a relatively low pressure region of the engine between a non-rotatable member of the engine and a rotatable member of the engine, the rotatable and non-rotatable engine members including gas bearing rotatable and non-rotatable face surfaces respectively, the non-rotatable face surface on an annular slider axially slidingly mounted on the non rotatable engine member, a retracting means for retracting the annular slider away from the rotatable member and the non-rotatable face surface away from the rotatable surface, the retracting means including a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart non-coiled springs, and each of the springs axially disposed between the slider and the non rotatable engine member: further comprising: each of the flat springs including first and second ends and a middle portion therebetween, the first and second ends and the middle portion being integral and monolithic with a first mounting lug or tab and the non rotatable member, and the first mounting lug or tab being on or attached to the non rotatable member: and further comprising a locating tab extends aftwardly from the second end and located radially outwardly of bolt holes in the second end.

8. A turbomachine aspirating face seal assembly comprising:
an aspirating face seal operable for restricting leakage of high pressure air from a relatively high pressure region of an engine to a relatively low pressure region of the engine between a non-rotatable member of the engine and a rotatable member of the engine,
the rotatable and non rotatable engine members including gas bearing rotatable and non rotatable face surfaces respectively,
the non-rotatable face surface on an annular sl

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Prenger Brian Joseph
• Wesling Richard Alan
• Gibson Nathan Evan Mccurdy
• Ganiger Ravindra Shankar
• Hardikar Narendra Anand
• Kulkarni Anand Aravindrao

Classifications

• F05D2260/38

  by a spring, i.e. spring loaded or biased towards a certain position · CPC title

• F05D2260/52

  involving springs · CPC title

• F01D11/003

  by packing rings; Mechanical seals · CPC title

• F16J15/447 Primary

  Labyrinth packings · CPC title

• F01D11/001

  for sealing space between stator blade and rotor · CPC title