Hydrostatic non-contact seal with varied thickness beams
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A non-contact seal assembly, comprising:
- a plurality of seal shoes arranged about a centerline in an annular array, the seal shoes including a first seal shoe extending axially along the centerline between a first shoe end and a second shoe end;
a seal base circumscribing the annular array of the seal shoes; and
a plurality of spring elements, each of the spring elements radially between and connecting a respective one of the seal shoes with the seal base, each of the spring elements comprising a first beam having a first beam thickness and a second beam having a second beam thickness, where the first and second beam thicknesses are different,where the first beam has a constant first beam thickness and the second beam has a constant second beam thickness.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A non-contact seal assembly includes a plurality of seal shoes arranged about a centerline in an annular array. The seal shoes include a first seal shoe extending axially along the centerline between a first shoe end and a second shoe end. A seal base circumscribes the annular array of the seal shoes. The assembly also includes a plurality of spring elements, each of the spring elements radially between and connecting a respective one of the seal shoes with the seal base. Each of the spring elements comprises a first beam having a first beam thickness and a second beam thickness, where the first and second beam thicknesses are different.
13 Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A non-contact seal assembly, comprising:
-
a plurality of seal shoes arranged about a centerline in an annular array, the seal shoes including a first seal shoe extending axially along the centerline between a first shoe end and a second shoe end; a seal base circumscribing the annular array of the seal shoes; and a plurality of spring elements, each of the spring elements radially between and connecting a respective one of the seal shoes with the seal base, each of the spring elements comprising a first beam having a first beam thickness and a second beam having a second beam thickness, where the first and second beam thicknesses are different, where the first beam has a constant first beam thickness and the second beam has a constant second beam thickness. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A non-contact seal assembly, comprising:
-
a plurality of seal shoes arranged about a centerline in an annular array, the seal shoes including a first seal shoe extending axially along the centerline between a first shoe end and a second shoe end; a seal base circumscribing the annular array of the seal shoes; and a plurality of spring elements, each of the spring elements radially between and connecting a respective one of the seal shoes with the seal base, each of the spring elements comprising a first beam and a second beam, where the first and second beams are each geometrically different. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. An assembly for rotational equipment with an axial centerline, the assembly comprising:
-
a stator structure; a rotor structure; and a seal assembly configured to substantially seal an annular gap between the stator structure and the rotor structure, the seal assembly comprising a hydrostatic non-contact seal device including a plurality of seal shoes, a seal base and a plurality of spring elements; the seal shoes arranged about a centerline in an annular array, the seal shoes sealingly engaging the rotor structure and including a first seal shoe extending axially along the centerline between a first shoe end and a second shoe end; the seal base circumscribing the annular array of the seal shoes, the seal base mounted with the stator structure; and where each of the spring elements is located radially between and connecting a respective one of the seal shoes with the seal base, and each of the spring elements comprises a first beam and second beam where the first and second beams are each geometrically different. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
Specification