Cooled finger seal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879556-B2
Application number	US-201514679615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2015
Priority date	Apr 11, 2014
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

An air seal for a gas turbine engine platform comprises a flow path platform, a seal retention ring, a finger seal. The seal retention ring is situated radially adjacent the flow path platform. The finger seal is retained by the seal retention ring between the flow path platform and the seal retention ring. The finger seal comprises a first ply with first keyhole slots, a second ply with second keyhole slots circumferentially offset relative to the first keyhole slots, and a foil layer. The foil layer is disposed between the first and second plies. The finger seal has a series of cooling holes in the outer circumferential segment to cool the outer diameter of the seal. In addition, leakage between the finger seal and the flow path platform cools the inner diameter of the seal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air seal for a gas turbine engine platform, the air seal comprising:
a flow path platform;
a seal retention ring situated radially adjacent the flow path platform;
a finger seal retained by the seal retention ring between the flow path platform and the seal retention ring, the finger seal comprising:
a first ply with first keyhole slots;
a second ply with second keyhole slots circumferentially offset relative to the first keyhole slots;
a foil layer disposed between the first and second plies; and
cooling flow holes extending through the first ply, the second ply, and the foil layer, and that direct airflow through the finger seal aft and towards the seal retainer ring, the cooling holes situated in a substantially circumferential region of the finger seal extending from a first substantially radial region with a plurality of bolt holes to a second substantially radial region extending form the seal retention ring to the flow path platform.

2. The air seal of claim 1 , further comprising:
a seal carrier immediately downstream of the seal retention ring, wherein the seal carrier and the seal retention ring cooperate to define an annular cavity, and the seal carrier has a protrusion that directs airflow past the finger seal, away from the annular cavity.

3. The air seal of claim 2 , wherein the protrusion comprises a portion of the seal carrier that extends radially inward of the seal retention ring.

4. The air seal of claim 1 , wherein the finger seal comprises a plurality of separate circumferential finger seal sections.

5. The air seal of claim 1 , wherein the first ply and second ply each comprise a plurality of circumferentially offset first and second circumferential ply sections making up the plurality of circumferential finger seal sections.

6. The air seal of claim 1 , wherein the finger seal comprises:
a substantially radial first region with a plurality of bolt holes;
a substantially radial second region extending from the seal retention ring to the flow path platform;
a substantially circumferential third region extending aft from the first region to the second region; and
a substantially circumferential fourth region extending forward from the second region, away from the flow path platform.

7. The air seal of claim 1 , wherein the finger seal is an outer air seal, and the seal retention ring is disposed radially outward of the flow path platform.

8. A gas turbine engine section comprising:
a turbine exhaust case frame with a structural case;
a fairing disposed within the turbine exhaust case frame, and having a flow path platform that defines a main gas flow path through the gas turbine engine section;
a finger seal disposed to restrict flow between the structural case and flow path platform, the finger seal comprising:
a first ply;
a second ply; and
a foil layer disposed between the first and second plies; and

a seal retention ring disposed immediately radially outward of the finger seal.

9. The gas turbine engine section of claim 8 , wherein the first and second plies have first and second keyhole slots, respectively, and wherein the first keyhole slots are not aligned with the second keyhole slots.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 8 , wherein the finger seal cooperates with an adjacent gas turbine section to direct airflow away from an annular cavity situated immediately radially outward of the seal retention ring.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Chuong Conway
• Lienau Jeffrey J
• Yeager William

Classifications

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F05D2260/202

  by film cooling · CPC title

• F01D25/30

  Exhaust heads, chambers, or the like · CPC title

• F05D2240/55

  Seals · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title