Investigation of Improved Labyrinth Seal Stability Accounting for Radial Deformation

Résumé fourni par la source

This study examines the labyrinth seal disc of an aero-engine, specifically analysing the radial deformation caused by centrifugal force and heat stress during operation. This distortion may lead to discrepancies in the performance attributes of the labyrinth seal and could potentially result in contact between the labyrinth seal tip and neighbouring components. A numerical analytical model incorporating the rotor and stator cavities, along with the labyrinth seal disc structure, has been established. The sealing integrity of a standard labyrinth seal disc’s flow channel is evaluated and studied at different clearances utilising the fluid–solid-thermal coupling method. The findings demonstrate that, after considering radial deformation, a cold gap of 0.5 mm in the conventional labyrinth structure leads to stabilisation of the final hot gap and flow rate, with no occurrence of tooth tip rubbing; however, both the gap value and flow rate show considerable variation relative to the cold state. When the cold gap is 0.3 mm, the labyrinth plate makes contact with the stator wall. To resolve the problem of tooth tip abrasion in the conventional design with a 0.3 mm cold gap, two improved configurations are proposed, and a stability study for each configuration is performed independently. The leakage and temperature rise attributes of the two upgraded configurations are markedly inferior to those of the classic configuration at a cold gap of 0.5 mm. At a cold gap of 0.3 mm, the two improved designs demonstrate no instances of tooth tip rubbing.

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