Labyrinth seal with angled fins

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11293295-B2
Application number	US-201916570066-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2019
Priority date	Sep 13, 2019
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

An aircraft engine having a shaft, an engine casing, at least one bearing located between the shaft and the engine casing, the engine casing defining a bearing cavity containing the at least one bearing, an air distribution system configured to inject compressed air to the bearing cavity to in use provide a sealing air flow entering the bearing cavity, and a labyrinth seal having a seal rotor and a seal stator, fins extending from one of the seal rotor and the seal stator toward the other of the seal rotor and the seal stator, at least one of the fins extending in an angled upstream direction relative to a direction of the sealing air flow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft engine comprising: a shaft, an engine casing, at least one bearing located between the shaft and the engine casing, the engine casing defining a bearing cavity containing the at least one bearing, an air distribution system configured to inject compressed air to the bearing cavity to in use provide a sealing air flow entering the bearing cavity, and a labyrinth seal having a seal rotor and a seal stator, fins extending from one of the seal rotor and the seal stator toward the other of the seal rotor and the seal stator, at least one of the fins extending away form the bearing cavity in an angled upstream direction relative to a direction of the sealing air flow entering the bearing cavity through the labyrinth seal.

2. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein at least another one of the fins extends from the one of the seal stator and the seal rotor at an angle being different than that of the at least one of the fins.

3. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein all of the fins extend in the angled upstream direction.

4. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein at least another one of the fins extends in an angled downstream direction relative to the sealing air flow.

5. The aircraft engine of claim 4 , wherein the at least other one of the fins is located closer to the bearing cavity than a remainder of the fins.

6. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein at least another one of the fins extends perpendicularly from the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator.

7. The aircraft engine of claim 6 , wherein the at least other one of the fins is located closer to the bearing cavity than a remainder of the fins.

8. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the fins defines an angle ranging from 30 to 45 degrees with a face of the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator from which the at least one of the fins protrudes.

9. The aircraft engine of claim 1 , further comprising a radial protrusion on an inboard side of the labyrinth seal and secured to the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator, the radial protrusion being axially offset from the other of the seal rotor and the seal stator.

10. A labyrinth seal assembly for sealing a bearing cavity, comprising: a seal rotor securable to a rotatable shaft; and a seal stator securable to a housing, one of the seal rotor and the seal stator defining fins extending therefrom toward the other of the seal rotor and the seal stator, at least one of the fins extending away from the bearing cavity in an angled upstream direction relative to a sealing air flow injected in the bearing cavity by flowing between the seal rotor and the seal stator, at least another one of the fins extending from the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator at an angle different than that of the at least one of the fins.

11. The labyrinth seal assembly of claim 10 , wherein the fins extend from the seal rotor.

12. The labyrinth seal assembly of claim 10 , wherein all of the fins extend in the angled upstream direction.

13. The labyrinth seal assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least other one of the fins extends in an angled downstream direction relative to the sealing air flow.

14. The labyrinth seal of claim 13 , wherein the at least other one of the fins is located closer to the bearing cavity than a remainder of the fins.

15. The labyrinth seal assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least other one of the fins extends perpendicularly from the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator.

16. The labyrinth seal of claim 15 , wherein the at least other one of the fins is located closer to the bearing cavity than a remainder of the fins.

17. The labyrinth seal assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one of the fins defines an angle ranging from 30 to 45 degrees with a face of the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator from which the at least one of the fins protrudes.

18. The labyrinth seal assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a radial protrusion on an inboard side of the labyrinth seal and secured to the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator, the radial protrusion being axially offset from the other of the seal rotor and the seal stator.

19. A labyrinth seal assembly for sealing a bearing cavity, comprising: a seal rotor securable to a rotatable shaft; and a seal stator securable to a housing, one of the seal rotor and the seal stator defining fins extending therefrom toward the other of the seal rotor and the seal stator, at least one of the fins extending from the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator and angled away from the bearing cavity.

20. The labyrinth seal assembly of claim 19 , wherein at least another one of the fins extends from the one of the seal rotor and the seal stator and toward the bearing cavity at an angle different than that of the at least one of the fins.

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Smith Alexander
• Legare Pierre-Yves

Classifications

• F04D17/122

  the individual rotor discs being, one for each stage, on a common shaft and axially spaced, e.g. conventional centrifugal multi- stage compressors · CPC title

• F01D25/183

  Sealing means · CPC title

• F05D2240/55

  Seals · CPC title

• F16J15/406

  by at least one pump · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title