Sealing apparatus for a turbomachine, seal-carrier ring element for a sealing apparatus, and turbomachine

Abstract

A sealing apparatus for a turbomachine, including a stator vane component, which includes an inner shroud element and a flow-directing element connected to the inner shroud element. The sealing apparatus includes a sealing component, which has a seal-carrier ring element coupled to the stator vane component. The seal-carrier ring element includes at least one ring body element and at least one projection, which is connected in one piece to the at least one ring body element, protrudes from the at least one ring body element in the radial direction of the sealing apparatus, and is inserted into at least one opening, which extends through the inner shroud element. Other aspects relate to a seal-carrier ring element for a sealing apparatus, and to a turbomachine which includes at least one sealing apparatus and/or at least one seal-carrier ring element.

Claims

1. A sealing apparatus for a turbomachine, the sealing apparatus comprising: at least one stator vane component including at least one inner shroud element and at least one flow-directing element connected to the at least one inner shroud element; and at least one seal component having at least one seal-carrier ring element coupled to the at least one stator vane component; the at least one seal-carrier ring element including at least one ring body element and at least one projection connected in one piece to the at least one ring body element, the at least one projection including a first projection protruding from the at least one ring body element in a radial direction of the sealing apparatus, and being inserted into a first opening of at least one opening of the at least one stator vane component so as to create an interlocking fit between the first projection and the first opening in both the circumferential and the axial direction.

2. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein at least the sealing component is formed without slide blocks.

3. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein the at least one opening leads into at least one cavity of the at least one flow-directing element.

4. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein the at least one projection is spaced apart in the radial direction of the sealing apparatus by at least a cavity bottom of the at least one cavity.

5. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one projection includes at least three projections.

6. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one projection includes at least as many projections as a number of the at least one stator vane component, the at least one stator vane component being designed as integrally formed stator vane cluster segments, and the seal-carrier ring element is spoke-centered by the projections radially within the at least one stator vane component.

7. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein wall regions of the sealing apparatus bounding the at least one opening and the at least one projection form at least one interlocking fit preventing a relative movement between the at least one stator vane component and the at least one sealing component in a circumferential direction or in a axial direction of the sealing apparatus.

8. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one seal-carrier ring element includes at least one sealing flange element connected to the at least one ring body element and, in an axial direction of the sealing apparatus, is spaced apart from the at least one projection, and/or the seal-carrier ring element is designed as an integral, full ring or includes such a ring.

9. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein the at least one stator vane component includes a stator vane flange protruding from the at least one inner shroud element in the radial direction and inserted into an intermediate space extending in an axial direction of the sealing apparatus between the at least one sealing flange element and the at least one projection.

10. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein the at least one stator vane component includes an additional stator flange protruding from the at least one inner shroud element in the radial direction and spaced apart from the stator vane flange in the axial direction forming at least one gap space.

11. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein the at least one projection is inserted into at least one gap space.

12. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the seal-carrier ring element includes an integral, full ring.

13. A turbomachine comprising at least one sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1.

14. An aircraft engine comprising the turbomachine as recited in claim 13.

15. A turbomachine comprising at least one sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1.

16. An aircraft engine comprising the turbomachine as recited in claim 15.

17. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one stator vane component has two axially spaced apart wall regions defining the first opening, the first projection being located between the two axially spaced apart wall regions.

18. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein the first projection contacts the wall regions to limit relative motion in the axial direction.

19. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein the at least one stator vane component has two circumferentially spaced apart wall regions further defining the first opening, the first projection being located between the two circumferentially spaced apart wall regions.

20. The sealing apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein the first projection contacts the two circumferentially spaced wall regions to limit relative motion in the circumferential direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a partial area of a sealing apparatus in a schematic sectional view circumferentially along the sealing apparatus, the sealing apparatus including a stator vane component as well as a sealing component and being configured in a turbomachine shown in a highly abstract form;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a further sectional, enlarged view of a segment of the sealing apparatus along an axial direction of the sealing apparatus;

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a seal-carrier ring element of the sealing component along the axial direction of the sealing apparatus, the seal-carrier ring element including a ring body element and a plurality of projections projecting therefrom in the radial direction of the sealing apparatus;

(4) FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the sealing apparatus along the axial direction;

(5) FIG. 5 is another schematic sectional view of the partial area of the sealing apparatus along the circumferential direction, an abradable layer of the sealing component being discernible;

(6) FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded view of the partial area of the sealing apparatus, the stator vane component and the sealing component being separate from one another; and

(7) FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a partial area of a variant of the sealing apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) In a highly abstract form, FIG. 1 shows a turbomachine 100 designed as an aircraft engine which includes at least one sealing apparatus 10. Sealing apparatus 10 includes a plurality of stator vane components 20 with interior cavities 42, of which only one is indicated in the following. Together, respective stator vane components 20 may form a stator vane ring of turbomachine 100, which is not shown here, however. In the present case, individual stator vane component 20 may form a segment of the stator vane ring, as is exemplarily discernible on the basis of FIG. 4, and may also be referred to as a stator vane ring segment.

(9) Stator vane ring segment 20 includes at least one inner shroud element 30, which is discernible in FIG. 2 in an enlarged view, and at least one flow-directing element 40 in the form of a stator vane airfoil connected to the at least one inner shroud element 30. In addition, stator vane component 20 includes at least one sealing component 50 that is formed without slide blocks, that has at least one seal-carrier ring element 60 coupled to the at least one stator vane component 20. Seal-carrier ring element 60 may, in particular be formed as an unsegmented inner ring.

(10) The at least one seal-carrier ring element 60 includes at least one ring body element 70 and projections 80, which are connected in one piece to the at least one ring body element 70, protrude from the at least one ring body element 70 in radial direction R of sealing apparatus 10, and are each inserted into an opening 32 of stator vane component 20, which, in particular may extend through the at least one inner shroud element 30. Thus, in each particular case, one of projections 80, which may also be referred to as lugs, is inserted into one of openings 32, respectively. Both projections 80 as well as openings 32 are uniformly arrayed in circumferential direction U of sealing apparatus 10. Projections 80, as well as the regular array thereof in circumferential direction U of sealing apparatus 10, are very readily discernible both in FIG. 3 as well as in FIG. 4. Projections 80 may preferably be provided with at least one wear protection layer, for example. The wear protection layer may be used for the direct and low-wear bracing of seal-carrier ring element 60 and thus of sealing component 50 against stator vane component 20. FIGS. 5 and 6 each show that sealing component 50 includes at least one abradable layer 72 which is inwardly disposed on ring body element 70 in radial direction R. The abradable layer may preferably have a honeycomb structure and enable “rubbing contact” of a rotor therewith. In particular, the abradable layer may enable a sealing fin on the rotor hub to rub thereinto. Generally, radial direction R not only relates to sealing apparatus 10, but also to annular seal carrier element 60 and turbomachine 100.

(11) Openings 32 lead into respective cavities 42 of the at least one flow-directing element 40. In each particular case, one of openings 32 leads into one of cavities 42, respectively. Openings 32 and cavities 42 may be formed in each case by removal of core material or be introduced into stator vane component 20, preferably by machining.

(12) In radial direction R of sealing apparatus 10, projections 80 are spaced apart from respective cavity bottoms of cavities 42. In radial direction R, the cavity bottoms represent outer boundaries of the respective cavities.

(13) In each case, one of wall regions 34 of sealing apparatus 10 bounding openings 32 and one of projections 80 form an interlocking fit 90, respectively, which at least limits a relative movement between the at least one stator vane component 20 and the at least one sealing component 50 in circumferential direction U and in axial direction A of sealing apparatus 10. Wall regions 34 may preferably be provided with at least one additional wear protection layer. The additional wear protection layer may be used for the direct and low-wear bracing of projections 80 of seal-carrier ring element 60 and thus of sealing component 50 against stator vane component 20. The additional wear protection layer may be provided additionally or alternatively to the wear protection layer (on projections 80). The wear protection layer and the additional wear protection layer may be formed from the same material.

(14) The at least one seal-carrier ring element 60 may additionally include at least one sealing flange element 62, as is discernible in FIG. 7. The at least one sealing flange element 62 is connected to the at least one ring body element 70 and, in axial direction A of sealing apparatus 10, spaced apart from projections 80 which are disposed in series in circumferential direction U of sealing apparatus 10. The at least one stator vane component 20 may additionally include at least one flange element 22, which protrudes from the at least one inner shroud element 30 in radial direction R of sealing apparatus 10 and is inserted into an intermediate space 52, which extends in axial direction A of sealing apparatus 10 between the at least one sealing flange element 62 and the at least one projection 80.

(15) Moreover, the at least one stator vane component 20 shown in FIG. 7 may include at least one additional flange element 24, which protrudes from the at least one inner shroud element 30 in radial direction R of sealing apparatus 10 and is spaced apart from the at least one flange element 22 in axial direction A of sealing apparatus 10, forming at least one gap space 26. Projections 80 are thereby inserted into the at least one gap space 26. Gap space 26 is designed as a space in a gap shape, in particular annular gap shape.

(16) The present sealing apparatus 10 makes it possible to eliminate the need for “inner air seals” known from the related art, where a front flange and a rear flange are produced in a complex process (for example, by turning and grinding) and are usually secured via a slide block using a rivet or lock bolt.

(17) In the case of sealing apparatus 10, projections 80 form a single segment on ring body element 70, projections 80, which are inserted into respective openings 32, effecting the securing between stator vane component 20 and sealing component 50. In the case of sealing apparatus 10, it is possible to eliminate the need for using slide blocks, which may also be referred to as “keys.” Moreover, sealing apparatus 10 is lower in weight and is manufactured with less machining outlay than inner air seals known from the related art. For example, the sealing apparatus has a simpler design and fewer parts, it being possible, for example, to eliminate the need for rivets or locking bolts.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(18) 10 sealing apparatus

(19) 20 stator vane component

(20) 22 flange element

(21) 24 additional flange element

(22) 26 gap space

(23) 30 inner shroud element

(24) 32 opening

(25) 34 wall region

(26) 40 flow-directing element

(27) 42 cavity

(28) 50 sealing component

(29) 52 intermediate space

(30) 60 seal-carrier ring element

(31) 62 sealing flange element

(32) 70 ring body element

(33) 72 abradable layer

(34) 80 projection

(35) 90 interlocking fit

(36) 100 turbomachine

(37) A axial direction

(38) R radial direction

(39) U circumferential direction