SEALING ELEMENT FOR A TURBO-MACHINE, TURBO-MACHINE COMPRISING A SEALING ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A SEALING ELEMENT

Abstract

A sealing element for a turbomachine, in particular an aircraft engine, with a housing for the at least one rotating structural component is provided. The sealing element comprises a honeycomb structure for arrangement inside the housing, wherein the honeycomb structure extends in a first direction, wherein support structures are connected to the honeycomb structure in one piece and/or in a pattern-like manner and extend at least partially into the honeycomb structure, and the support structures extend at least partially or completely in a second direction that is different from the first direction. The support structures have planar portions, which are formed by at least one partially or completely closed cell together with the honeycomb structure.

Claims

1. A sealing element for a turbomachine, in particular an aircraft engine, with a housing for at least one rotating structural component, comprising a honeycomb structure for arrangement inside the housing, wherein the honeycomb structure extends in a first direction, wherein support structures are connected to the honeycomb structure in one piece and/or in a pattern-like manner and extend at least partially into the honeycomb structure, and the support structures extend at least partially or completely in a second direction that is different from the first direction, wherein the support structures have planar portions, which are formed by at least one partially or completely closed cell together with the honeycomb structure.

2. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure and/or the support structures can be modified in an abrasive manner in the event that contact with the at least one structural component occurs.

3. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the first direction, into which the honeycomb structure extends, is arranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to the housing.

4. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the support structures are arranged in a second direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction of the honeycomb structure.

5. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one closed cell is a fluid-tight cell.

6. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the at least one closed cell is filled at least partially with an extinguishing agent and/or air.

7. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure have a circular, square, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, rhombic or polygonal cross-section.

8. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structures have a rhombic cross-section, wherein the acute angle is arranged so as to be perpendicular to the rotational plane of the rotor, and the acute angle is less than 90, particularly less than 60, very particularly between 60 and 30.

9. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the support structures are arranged so as to be respectively offset at the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure in the first direction.

10. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure and/or the support structures have a thickness, in particular a wall thickness, of less than 100 m, in particular less than 80 m.

11. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure and/or the support structures are made of a metallic material, in particular from the FeCrAlxx group or the Ni-based group of alloys, wherein the honeycomb structure and the support structures are particularly constructed from the same material.

12. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure and/or the support structures have a variable density, structure and/or shape in the sealing element.

13. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure has a means for retaining solder, in particular by forming chambers by means of the support structures inside the honeycomb structure.

14. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure is coupled to a fluidic valve means for improving the sealing characteristics.

15. The sealing element according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb structure and/or the support structures can be manufactured by means of a metallic 3D screen print or a metallic 3D printing process.

16. The sealing element according to claim 15, wherein a metallic powder, in particular with a grain size D90 of less than 10 m, is used in manufacture.

17. A turbomachine, in particular an aircraft engine, with a sealing element according to claim 1.

18. A method for manufacturing a sealing element for a turbomachine, in particular an aircraft engine, with a housing for at least one rotating structural component, wherein a honeycomb structure for arrangement inside the housing and support structures are at least partially manufactured by means of a metallic 3D screen print or a metallic 3D printing process, wherein the honeycomb structure extends in a first direction and the support structures are connected to the honeycomb structure at least partially in one piece and/or in a pattern-like manner, the support structures extend at least partially into the honeycomb structure, and the support structures extend at least partially or completely in a second direction that is different from the first direction, wherein the support structures have planar portions, which are formed by at least one partially or completely closed cell together with the honeycomb structure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The invention is explained in connection with the exemplary embodiments that are shown in the Figures.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a schematic rendering of a housing and of a rotor of a turbomachine with a sealing element.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view through a rotating sealing lip (web seal).

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a sealing element having a honeycomb structure with a square cross-section and horizontal support structures.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a sealing element with a honeycomb structure having a square cross-section in an oblique arrangement and horizontal support structures.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a sealing element with a honeycomb structure having a hexagonal cross-section and horizontal support structures.

[0030] FIG. 6 shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a sealing element with a honeycomb structure having a rhombic cross-section and horizontal support structures.

[0031] FIG. 7 shows a three-dimensional view of an embodiment of a sealing element with a honeycomb structure having a hexagonal cross-section and tilted support structures.

[0032] FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of a honeycomb structure with a rhombic cross-section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a section of a turbomachine, namely an aircraft engine, in a schematic manner. Here, a housing 10 surrounds a rotating structural component, in the present case a rotor, of which only one rotor blade 11 is shown here. Such rotor blades 11 are arranged inside compressors and/or turbines of an aircraft engine, for example.

[0034] A honeycomb structure 1 of a sealing element 15 is arranged in a per se known manner at the inner side of the housing 10. Here, the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1 have a square cross-section. The individual honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1 have walls that are arranged substantially perpendicular to the housing 10. In FIG. 1, this perpendicular direction A is drawn in in two places. In the following, such embodiments of sealing elements 15 are described which, in addition to the honeycomb structure 1, also have support structures 2, which are not shown in FIG. 1 for reasons of clarity.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows another rotating structural component in one section, namely a rotating sealing lip 12 with three individual circumferential sealing lips, as they may for example be arranged at a rotor 13 of a turbine stage. The sealing lip 12 meshes with the circumferential sealing element 15 at a stator 16. The honeycomb structure 1 and the support structures 2 are not shown here for reasons of clarity.

[0036] During the touching or the run-in of rotating structural components, such as rotor blades 11 (FIG. 1) or the sealing lip 12 (FIG. 2), into the sealing element 15, the honeycomb structure 1 that is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and also the support structures 2 are in particular abrasively ablated. Through the stepped design/construction of the sealing element 15 as well as through the arrangement of multiple sealing lips, a labyrinth seal is constructed for the gap between the rotor blades 11 or the sealing lip 12 and the housing 10.

[0037] Principally, a sealing element 15 can also be used with other rotating structural components of a turbomachine.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a three-dimensional section of a sealing element 15. Here, the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1 have a square cross-section, respectively. The walls of the honeycomb structure 1 are oriented in the first direction A, being oriented substantially perpendicularly to the wall of the housing 10 in the case of FIG. 1. Thus, they point in the radial direction, that is, the same direction into which the rotor blades 11 extend (see FIG. 1). Since the wall of the housing 10 is bent, the direction of the honeycomb walls changes.

[0039] In the front and at the left side of the section in FIG. 3, the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1 are respectively cut open, so that the support structures 2 can be seen. The support structures 2 are formed as flat surfaces here, which are configured so as to be substantially perpendicular to the walls of the honeycomb structures 1. Thus, the support structures 2 are oriented in a second direction B that is different from the first direction A. In the shown embodiment, the two directions A, B are arranged perpendicularly to one another. FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which the directions A, B are not oriented in a perpendicular manner.

[0040] Here, the support structures 2 are formed as planar constructs, forming closed cells 3 inside the individual honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1. Principally, a partially or completely closed cell 3 is sufficient, as well.

[0041] As can for example be seen from the cut-open front side of FIG. 2, the support structures 2 are respectively arranged at different heights (as measured in the first direction A, for example) inside the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1; that is, the support structures are arranged in an offset manner, so that closed cells 3 having different height levels are created along the individual honeycombs. The closed cells 3 can be filled with a fluid, such as a gas or an extinguishing agent/powder.

[0042] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the support structures 2 form a regular pattern, namely a grid of identical cells. They can be manufactured in one piece with the honeycomb structure 1, for example.

[0043] If a rotor blade 11 (see FIG. 1) or a sealing lip 12 (see FIG. 2) penetrates the honeycomb structure 1 during run-in, some walls of the honeycombs and consequently also the closed cells 3 are deformed in an abrasive manner up to a certain depth. If the material is chosen so as to be sufficiently brittle, the walls of the honeycomb structure 1 and the support elements 2 fall apart relatively easily, so that the abrasive effect can occur in an easy manner.

[0044] Those closed cells 3 which are arranged deeper inside the sealing element 15 (that is, which are arranged radially further to the outside as viewed from the rotational axis) remain intact, so that a good sealing effect can continued to be ensured. The sealing effect is improved by means of the support structures 2 that are arranged so as to be offset in a dissimilar mannerand thus by means of the closed cells 3 that are arranged so as to be offset in a dissimilar manner.

[0045] The complex three-dimensional structure of the sealing element 15 is created from a metallic powder by means of a 3D screen print or a 3D printing method. Here, the powder may for example have a D90 grain size of less than 10 m (i.e. fine dust), which is manufactured by means of gas or water atomization.

[0046] Thanks to this method, it is possible to manufacture complex three-dimensional structures in an efficient manner. At that, it is also possible that the size, orientation and/or 3D shape of the honeycomb structure 1 and/or of the support structures 2 varies within the sealing element 15. As will be shown in the following, the orientation of the walls of the honeycombs and/or the orientation of the support structures 2 can contribute to minimizing the frictional contact surface.

[0047] The wall thicknesses of the honeycomb structure 1 and of the support structures 2 may for example be less than 100 m. If for example a metal from the FeCrAlY group is used for the honeycomb structure 1 and the support structures 2, a sealing element 15 is created that is abrasively deformable to a sufficient degree, while at the same time being high-temperature resistant.

[0048] In FIGS. 4 to 6, variations of the embodiment according to FIG. 3 are shown, so that it may be referred to the above description. Here, too, the support structures 2 form regular patterns, that is, they are connected in a pattern-like manner to the honeycomb structure 1.

[0049] The design of the honeycomb structure 1 as well as the arrangement of the support structures 2 as planar constructs for forming closed cells 3 inside the honeycomb structure 1 is identical. Also, in this case the planar support structures 2 are likewise arranged perpendicularly to the walls of the honeycomb structure 1, that is, the first direction A is arranged substantially perpendicular to the second direction B.

[0050] In FIG. 4, the honeycomb structure 1 is also formed out of honeycombs with a square cross-section. But the orientation of the honeycombs is rotated by 45.

[0051] In FIG. 5, the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1 have a hexagonal cross-section, as in a per se known honeycomb structure.

[0052] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1 have a rhombic cross-section. As is shown in connection with FIG. 7, this can be advantageous if the sealing element 15and thus the shape of the honeycombsis directed towards the rotor's rotational plane R.

[0053] FIG. 7 shows a schematic top view of a rhombic honeycomb of a honeycomb structure 1, as it is shown in FIG. 6, for example. Here, the acute angle is aligned perpendicularly towards the rotational plane of the rotor 11 or the sealing lip 12, which extends perpendicularly to the drawing plane and is indicated by the dashed line R. Through the angle , the weighting between the sealing effect and the minimal friction surface can be controlled in the course of the designing process.

[0054] While in FIGS. 3 to 6 the planar support structures 2 are respectively embodied so as to be substantially perpendicular to the walls of the honeycombs, FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which the planar support structures 2 are formed so as to be tilted with respect to the horizontal line, that is, the directions A, B are no longer arranged so as to be perpendicular to one another.

[0055] A possible modification of all the shown embodiments consists in the feature that the support structures 2 do not completely close the honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1. In this way, they would influence the mechanical behavior, but no closed cells 3 would be created. It is also possible that closed cells are formed only in some parts of the sealing element 15. Here, the flexible manufacturing methods allow for a wide range of different 3D structures. Thus, the support structures 2 do not have to be formed in a planar manner, but they can also be bar-shaped or netlike, for example.

[0056] Further, it is possible that embodiments of the sealing element 15 have a honeycomb structure 1 with different honeycomb shapes and/or dimensions. For example, a central area of the sealing element 15 can have a different wall density (a different honeycomb size, a different honeycomb shape, a different support structure, for example) than an area of the sealing element that is located at the edge. Here, the flexible manufacturing methods facilitate an adjustment to the sealing effect to be achieved.

[0057] The honeycombs of the honeycomb structure 1 can also have a circular, polygonal, triangular or generally polygonal cross-section, for example.

PARTS LIST

[0058] 1 honeycomb structure [0059] 2 support structures [0060] 3 closed cells [0061] 10 housing [0062] 11 rotor blade [0063] 12 sealing lip [0064] 13 rotor [0065] 15 sealing element [0066] 16 stator [0067] A first direction of the honeycomb structure (perpendicular to a rotor housing) [0068] B second direction [0069] R rotational plane of the rotor [0070] angle of a rhombic honeycomb