Skirted seal apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11674447-B2
Application number	US-202117361479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2021
Priority date	Jun 29, 2021
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

Apparatuses are provided herein useful to sealing a gap between a movable flap and a stationary structure, such as a gap between a gas turbine engine nozzle flap and a corresponding sidewall. An apparatus for sealing such a gap may be a dynamic skirted leaf seal which may include a flap arm, a wall arm opposite the flap arm, and a support arm disposed between the flap and wall arms. A distal end portion of the flap arm may comprise a first skirt and a distal end portion of the support arm may comprise a second skirt that engages the first skirt. When positioned in a gap, the skirted leaf seal may exert a force to urge the first flap arm towards the flap and to urge the wall arm and the support arm towards the structure to seal the gap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A seal apparatus, comprising:
a first seal having a first proximal end portion, a first distal end portion with a first bend, and a first skirt extending away from the first bend;
a second seal opposite the first seal and defining an interior space therebetween, the second seal having a second proximal end portion coupled to the first proximal end portion and a second distal end portion, the first skirt extending into the interior space; and
a support associated with the second seal, the support being disposed in the interior space and including a second skirt,

wherein the first seal biases away from the second seal to seal a gap between a movable flap and a stationary structure, and wherein the first skirt and the second skirt overlap to seal the interior space.

2. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first seal, the second seal, and the support are a single piece of material.

3. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first seal, the second seal, and the support are flexurally related such that the first seal, the second seal, and the support have a predetermined movement.

4. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a proximal end of the support is coupled to the first proximal end portion and the second proximal end portion, the support having a first resilient sheet, a second resilient sheet, and a wherein the second skirt extends between the first resilient sheet the second resilient sheet.

5. The seal apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the second skirt includes a hairpin bend attached to a radiation shield, the radiation shield being disposed outwardly the second skirt.

6. The seal apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first skirt slidingly engages the second skirt.

7. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second distal end portion is enlarged and an intermediate portion extends between the second distal end portion and the second proximal end portion, the second distal end portion having a thickness greater than a thickness of the intermediate portion.

8. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second distal end portion includes at least a first surface of contact, the first surface of contact sealing a space between the second seal and the stationary structure.

9. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first bend of the first seal provides a second surface of contact, the second surface of contact sealing a space between the first seal and the movable flap.

10. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the seal apparatus exerts a force to urge the support towards the second seal to seal a space between the second seal and the stationary structure.

11. The seal apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first seal and the second seal include a common attachment for mounting the first seal and the second seal for rotation, and wherein the first seal is an elongate sheet and the second seal is an elongate sheet.

12. A gas turbine nozzle, comprising:
a sidewall;
a movable flap adjacent the sidewall; and
a seal apparatus disposed between the sidewall and the movable flap to seal a gap between the sidewall and the movable flap, the seal apparatus operably coupled to the movable flap and comprising:
a first seal having a first proximal end portion, a first distal end portion with a first bend, and a first skirt extending away from the first bend;
a second seal opposite the first seal and defining an interior space therebetween, the second seal having a second proximal end portion coupled to the first proximal end portion of the first seal, the first skirt extending into the interior space; and
a support associated with the second seal and including a second skirt, the support being disposed in the interior space,
wherein the first seal biases away from the second seal to seal the gap, and wherein the first skirt and the second skirt overlap to seal the interior space.

13. The gas turbine nozzle of claim 12 , wherein the seal apparatus exerts a force to urge the first seal towards the movable flap and to urge the second seal towards the sidewall to seal the gap.

14. The gas turbine nozzle of claim 12 , wherein the first seal and the second seal include a common attachment for mounting the first seal and the second seal for relative rotation, and wherein the seal apparatus is operably coupled to the movable flap via a housing, the housing comprising a cantilever coupled to the common attachment.

15. The gas turbine nozzle of claim 14 , wherein the cantilever counteracts a core pressure of the gas turbine nozzle.

16. A method of sealing a gap using a seal apparatus, the seal apparatus comprising: a first seal having a first proximal end portion, a first distal end portion with a first bend, and a first skirt extending away from the first bend; a second seal opposite the first seal and defining an interior space therebetween, the second seal having a second distal end portion and a second proximal end portion coupled to the first proximal end portion, the first skirt extending into the interior space; and a support associated with the second seal, the support being disposed in the interior space, wherein the first seal biases away from the second seal, the method comprising:
contacting at least two surfaces with the first distal end portion and the second distal end portion;
moving automatically at least the second distal end portion relative to one of the at least two surfaces in response to the gap changing size; and
moving automatically the support in response to a movement in the second seal, and integrally relating the motion of the support and the second seal.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the method seals the gap using at least two seal apparatuses.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the support includes a second skirt that engages the first skirt to seal the interior space.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of: distorting the second seal according to a contour of at least one of the surfaces.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Shealy James
• Corsmeier Donald M

Classifications

• F05D2240/55

  Seals · CPC title

• F02K1/1215 Primary

  of two series of flaps, the upstream series having its flaps hinged at their upstream ends on a fixed structure, and the downstream series having its flaps hinged at their downstream ends on a fixed structure · CPC title

• F02K1/78

  Other construction of jet pipes · CPC title

• F16J15/16

  between relatively-moving surfaces (F16J15/50, F16J15/52 take precedence; bellows pistons F16J3/06; piston-rings or ring sealings of similar construction F16J9/00) · CPC title

• F02C7/28 Primary

  Arrangement of seals · CPC title