Patent US3709631A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3709631A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Turbine blade seal arrangement
Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
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Filing: 1971-03-18
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Granted: 1973-01-09
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Expires: 1991-03-18
Abstract
Abstract A seal arrangement for a turbine assembly including a turbine wheel, having a plurality of circumferentially arranged blades with adjacent edges of the blades being axially arranged above passages in the wheel assembly and retaining members arranged on each axial side of the wheel, a seal assembly between each adjacent pair of blades including an elongated seal member with means for maintaining the seal member in alignment with an axial recess formed by adjacent edges of the blade so that the seal member is urged radially outwardly into sealing engagement with the blades during rotation of the wheel and annular seal rings for maintaining sealing engagement between the retaining members and the plurality of blades.
Inventors
- 👤 K Karstensen
- 👤 J Koch
- 👤 W Hoftiezer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 09:57
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01D; F01D5/00; F01D5/30; F01D5/3007; F01D11/00; F01D11/005; F01D11/006; F01D11/008; F01D5/12; F01D5/22
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
228 words
A seal arrangement for a turbine assembly including a rotatable turbine wheel, turbine blades having base portions secured about the periphery of the wheel, the base portions having axially arranged adjacent edges, axial gas passages being formed between the adjacent edges of the base portions and the wheel, the blades having internal passages for communicating cooling gas from the axial passages to tip portions of the blades, a retaining member arranged on one side of the wheel and having an annular surface tending to engage the base portions of the blades, an annular recess being formed between the retaining member and wheel radially inwardly of the annular surface, the annular recess being in communication with the axial passages, means for introducing cooling gas into the annular recess, the seal arrangement comprising an elongated seal assembly arranged in the axial gas passage between each adjacent pair of blades including an elongated seal member movably disposed in the axial passage and means for maintaining the seal member in alignment with an axial recess formed by adjacent edges of the base portions so that the seal member is urged radially outwardly into sealing engagement with the adjacent edges of the base portions during rotation of the turbine wheel, and annular seal means arranged in the annular recess for sealing engagement with the retaining member and the base portions of the blades.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
228 words
A seal arrangement for a turbine assembly including a rotatable turbine wheel, turbine blades having base portions secured about the periphery of the wheel, the base portions having axially arranged adjacent edges, axial gas passages being formed between the adjacent edges of the base portions and the wheel, the blades having internal passages for communicating cooling gas from the axial passages to tip portions of the blades, a retaining member arranged on one side of the wheel and having an annular surface tending to engage the base portions of the blades, an annular recess being formed between the retaining member and wheel radially inwardly of the annular surface, the annular recess being in communication with the axial passages, means for introducing cooling gas into the annular recess, the seal arrangement comprising an elongated seal assembly arranged in the axial gas passage between each adjacent pair of blades including an elongated seal member movably disposed in the axial passage and means for maintaining the seal member in alignment with an axial recess formed by adjacent edges of the base portions so that the seal member is urged radially outwardly into sealing engagement with the adjacent edges of the base portions during rotation of the turbine wheel, and annular seal means arranged in the annular recess for sealing engagement with the retaining member and the base portions of the blades.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The seal arrangement of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the seal member is deformable for intimately conforming in sealing relation with the base portions of the blades.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The seal arrangement of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the seal member is coated with silver.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The seal arrangement of claim 1 wherein the seal member is a wire and the aligning means are members secured to the wire and having angularly extending wing portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The seal arrangement of claim 1 wherein the elongated seal assembly comprises an elongated seal member which in cross-section includes winged extensions forming the aligning means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
182 words
A seal arrangement for a rotor assembly having a rotor wheel, rotor blades being secured by base portions in circumferential arrangement to the perimeter of the wheel, adjacent edges of the base portions of the blades being axially arranged with respect to the wheel and forming axial gas passages between the adjacent edges of the base portions and the wheel, a retaining member being arranged on each axial side of the wheel, the retaining members having annular surfaces tending to engage the base portions and annular recesses located radially inwardly of the annular surfaces, comprising an elongated seal member movably arranged in each axial gas passage adjacent an axially arranged recess formed by the adjacent edges of the base portions, means for maintaining the seal member in alignment with the axIal recess so that the seal member is urged radially outwardly into sealing engagement with the adjacent edges of the base portions during rotation of the rotor wheel, and annular seal means arranged in each annular recess for respective sealing engagement with the retaining members and the base portions of the blades.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
182 words
A seal arrangement for a rotor assembly having a rotor wheel, rotor blades being secured by base portions in circumferential arrangement to the perimeter of the wheel, adjacent edges of the base portions of the blades being axially arranged with respect to the wheel and forming axial gas passages between the adjacent edges of the base portions and the wheel, a retaining member being arranged on each axial side of the wheel, the retaining members having annular surfaces tending to engage the base portions and annular recesses located radially inwardly of the annular surfaces, comprising an elongated seal member movably arranged in each axial gas passage adjacent an axially arranged recess formed by the adjacent edges of the base portions, means for maintaining the seal member in alignment with the axIal recess so that the seal member is urged radially outwardly into sealing engagement with the adjacent edges of the base portions during rotation of the rotor wheel, and annular seal means arranged in each annular recess for respective sealing engagement with the retaining members and the base portions of the blades.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The seal arrangement of claim 6 wherein the seal aligning means comprise members arranged radially inwardly of the seal member in oppositely angled relation with respect to a radial plane passing through the seal member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
The seal arrangement of claim 7 wherein the axial passages are formed between peripheral portions of the wheel and surfaces of the base portions of the blades, adjacent the axial recess the seal aligning members being secured to the seal member and extending radially inwardly therefrom.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
The seal arrangement of claim 8 wherein the overall radial dimension of the seal member and seal aligning members at least slightly exceeds the spacing between a peripheral portion of the wheel and surfaces of the base portions adjacent the axial recess.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The seal arrangement of claim 8 wherein the seal member is deformable at least on a portion of its surface for conforming in sealing relation with the base portions of the blades.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The seal arrangement of claim 10 wherein at least a portion of the seal member is coated with silver.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
The seal arrangement of claim 8 wherein the seal member is a wire and the seal aligning members are formed by winged tabs secured to the wire.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
50 words
The seal arrangement of claim 8 wherein the seal member and seal aligning members are integrally formed as an elongated member which in cross-section includes winged extensions comprising the seal aligning members, the outer surface of the elongated member providing for sealing engagement with the base portions of the blades.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
The seal arrangement of claim 6 wherein the annular seal means comprises resilient seal rings arranged for sealing engagement with annular grooves formed by the retaining members and the base portions of the blades.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
43 words
The seal arrangement of claim 6 wherein the annular seal means comprises rigid annular rings having radially extending projections forming seal surfaces of limited axial width for sealing interaction respectively with one of the retaining members and the base portions of the blades.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
66 words
The seal arrangement of claim 15 wherein the seal surfaces of the annular seal rings normally have smaller diameters than the surfaces of the retaining member and base portions with which they interact, the annular seal ring having relatively greater coefficients of expansion so that the seal surfaces are in contact with the retaining member and base portions under optimum operating temperatures for the rotor assembly.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
33 words
The seal arrangement of claim 6 wherein the rotor assembly is a stage portion of a turbine, the blades having internal passages for communicating cooling gas from the recesses to the blade tips.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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US2858102A
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US2937849A
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US3017159A
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-01-09 | 1976-07-10 | 1977-01-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-01-09 | 1980-07-10 | 1981-01-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-01-09 | 1984-07-10 | 1985-01-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |