Compliant brush shroud assembly for gas turbine engine compressors

Abstract

A brush shroud assembly for reducing the tip clearance between a rotating blade and an engine casing is disclosed. The assembly includes a plurality of bristle packs supported within a housing such that the bristle distribution at the inner diameter of the bristle packs is substantially continuous. The continuous surface is created by mounting the bristles packs within a housing such that the packs are flared, i.e. width at the outer diameter of the bristle pack is smaller than that at the inner diameter. Various embodiments are disclosed for mounting the flared bristle packs to form a substantially continuous inner diameter. The bristle strips may be mounted in one or more annular rings, may be secured within one or more channels in the housing, the bristle packs may be formed into a tufted ring, or any of these may be utilized in combination with a backplate supporting an abradable seal, i.e. a hybrid design.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation under 37 CFR § 153(b) of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/397,060, filed Mar. 25, 2003 which was a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/012,979, filed Nov. 5, 2001, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,773 on Mar. 25, 2003, which claimed priority under 35 USC § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/246,182, filed on Nov. 6, 2000. The entire contents of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference in entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to a brush shroud assembly for sealing a gap between an engine casing and rotating blade, and, more specifically, to a brush shroud assembly including a bristle strip having a plurality of bristles mounted in a compliant casing such that the bristles are flared to form a continuous surface to seal a blade-tip flow area, the bristles also having an angle with respect to the radial direction of about 1-25 degrees, inclined in the direction of rotation.

BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART

Gas turbine engine compressors include an engine casing and a number of rotating blades disposed within the casing. As the blades rotate within the casing, there is a certain amount of clearance between the tip of the blades and the surface of the engine casing in order to prevent the tips of the rotating blades from contacting the engine casing and causing damage to the casing and the blade tips. In aircraft engines, it is desirable to minimize the amount of clearance between the tip of the compressor blade and the engine casing in order to maximize the engine's efficiency. From the standpoint of performance, the blade tip clearance should ideally be zero. However, from a practical standpoint, some tip clearance is necessary to avoid blade tip rub against the casing. The blade tip clearance has a significant effect on the compressor performance including aerodynamic efficiency, pressure ratio, and compressor stall margin. In the past, abradable seals have been utilized between the engine casing and the tip of the rotating compressor blade in order to minimize gap clearance to about 0.025″, as measured between the tip of the rotating blade and the abradable seal.

A conventional abradable seal is illustrated in FIG. 1. With such seals, a rigid shroud casing 1 usually includes an inner surface having either a felt metal or a soft coating 2, typically sprayed nickel containing graphite. Both types of abradable seals are weak enough to abrade away when contacted by a high speed rotating blade 3, without wearing or damaging the blade tip during short-duration rubs, such as rubs which may occur during compressor stalls and hard landings. The designed clearance, “c”, of the rigid abradable casing is large enough to avoid frequent rubs. However, during a short-duration rub, the clearance is further enlarged, permanently reducing the compressor performance, such as its efficiency and stall margin. Beyond a certain tip clearance enlargement and performance loss resulting from accumulated rub damage, the engine is removed from service and overhauled.

Conventional rigid shroud casings degrade compressor performance as the abradable seal wears away, and also increases the maintenance cost due to frequent engine overhaul and lost service. In order to further reduce the gap clearance and improve performance, a compliant shroud has been developed by Compressor Aero Research Laboratories (CARL), Wright Laboratories WPAFB, Dayton, Ohio, which incorporates staged conventional brush seals, as shown in FIG. 2. In this design, a number of conventional bristle packs 4 are attached to the rotor 5, and are further welded between a rigid front plate 6 and a rigid back plate 7. The bristles are inclined in the direction of rotation, as is conventional with brush seals, and the gap clearance between the tip of the bristles and the tip of the blade is reduced significantly, to about 0.005″. In the event of a blade rub, the bristles deflect elastically and return to their original configuration, thus not enlarging gap clearance. Although the gap clearance is reduced, the clearance of the gap is not continuous since a continuous compliant brush surface is not present, due to the incorporation of front and back plates. The lack of a continuous surface can result in the creation of vortices within the region, thus lowering the compressor efficiency. Another important drawback of the CARL design is that the use of redundant front and back plates significantly increased the weight and cost of the system, which is particularly undesirable in aerospace applications where weight and cost reduction is important. In addition, welding the bristles to the front and back plates can also lead to increased cost, both initially and later, during repairs.

A hybrid brush shroud design has also been proposed by CARL, as illustrated in FIG. 3. In this design, a compliant brush casing containing multiple bristles 8 in approximately the front 30% of the chord length is abutted by a rigid shroud ring 9. Using fluid mechanical modeling, it has been demonstrated that the blade tip clearance is critical only in the front section. The tip clearance is significantly reduced in the front section containing the bristle packs. The rear section, containing the rigid shroud ring has an increased tip clearance, in order to prevent blade tip rub. This hybrid structure will reduce the fraction of the blade chord covered with expensive brush shroud, resulting in a lower cost. The brush shroud structure is placed only where it is needed, not the entire chord length. While FIG. 3 describes a concept, no design and fabrication methods have been proposed by CARL. In addition, if the rigid shroud ring is contacted by the rotor blade, it can damage both the blade and the shroud ring.

Therefore, there is a need in the art a compliant shroud casing which has a good resistance to damage caused by short-duration rotor rubs so as to allow for increased performance overall and less frequent engine repairs due to blade rub, and which is light-weight and cost effective to manufacture and replace, if needed.

SUMMARY

One object of the present invention is to provide a brush shroud assembly which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, relatively light weight, and which can be readily replaced, as needed.

There is provided herein a compliant brush shroud assembly for reducing the tip clearance between a rotating blade and the engine casing and which improves compressor performance. The brush shroud assembly includes a plurality of bristle packs supported within a housing such that the bristle distribution at the free ends, or inner diameter, of the bristle packs is continuous (i.e. there are no significant gaps between adjacent bristle packs.) The continuous surface is created by mounting the bristles packs within a housing such that the packs are flared, i.e. the width (axial length) at the outer diameter of the bristle pack is smaller than the width at the inner diameter.

In one embodiment, the compliant brush shroud assembly having a flared configuration and continuous inner diameter is fabricated by using one or more annular shroud rings which are supported within the housing. Each shroud ring preferably has a U-shaped configuration and may be welded or otherwise joined to a flexible bristle strip fabricated by attaching a plurality of bristle packs to one or more flexible rails. In a second embodiment, the annular ring is eliminated and the flexible bristle strips are secured directly to the housing, through one or more grooves or channels disposed in the housing. In a third embodiment, the flared configuration and continuous inner diameter is achieved by mounting the bristles packs within a holding ring having a plurality of holes to form a “tufted” ring. In a fourth embodiment, any of the first three embodiments (annular shroud ring, insert, and tufted) are utilized in combination with a rigid shroud ring supporting an abradable seal to form a hybrid assembly. In a fifth embodiment, the bristle angles are minimized from about 1-25 degrees in order to minimize bristle and blade damage due to bristle “suck down.” In any of the embodiments, the bristle pack may be mounted between a pair of crimped rails.

Once installed, all of the illustrative embodiments significantly reduce the clearance between the rotating blade and the engine casing as compared with conventional designs. The modular manner in which the bristles are mounted allows the bristles to be readily replaced, as needed. This can reduce both the labor cost and the cost due to lost service. In addition, by eliminating traditional back and front plates utilized with conventional brush seals, the weight of the above embodiments is reduced as compared to conventional brush seals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It should be understood that the drawings are provided for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to define the limits of the invention. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the embodiments described herein will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional schematic of an abradable seal of a prior art rigid compressor blade shroud;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional schematic of a prior art compliant shroud utilizing a series of conventional brush seals with rigid front and back plates;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional schematic of a prior art hybrid compliant shroud having brushes mounted in a forward section, and a rigid shroud ring mounted rearwardly;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a compliant brush shroud assembly including multiple brush shroud rings, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of an annular holder for mounting a bristle strip utilized in the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a bristle pack mounted between two rails to form a bristle strip;

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of an annular holder with the bristle strip mounted therein;

FIG. 5D is a schematic of an engine casing with a brush shroud assembly illustrating the direction of blade rotation;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of a bristle pack attached to a single rail to form a bristle strip;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the bristle strip of FIG. 6A mounted within an annular holder;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a pair of bristle strips mounted within a single annular holder;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of a compliant brush shroud assembly including multiple bristle strips mounted within channels in a housing, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a tufted ring of bristles in accordance with a third embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of a compliant brush shroud assembly including the tufted ring of FIG. 9 mounted within a housing;

FIG. 11 is a side view of a hybrid brush shroud casing including a brush shroud in a forward section and an abradable seal mounted rearwardly thereof in accordance with a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 12 illustrates increased interference of the bristle pack with a rotating blade resulting from bristle “suck down”;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an exemplary shrouded blade;

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the variation of critical clearance or interference vs. bristle angle;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a bristle pack mounted between two rails having a preferred ratio of weld depth to rail depth when forming a bristle strip; and

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional, schematic view of a bristle pack mounted between a pair of crimped rails.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

A compliant brush shroud assembly for reducing the gap or clearance between a rotating blade and the engine casing and for improving performance of a gas turbine engine compressor is illustrated in FIGS. 4-15. The brush shroud assembly includes a plurality of bristle packs supported within a housing, preferably in rows, such that the bristle distribution at the free ends, or inner diameter (I_D), of the bristle packs is substantially continuous, i.e. there are no significant gaps between adjacent bristle packs at their free ends. Such a substantially continuous bristle distribution enhances compressor performance because significant gaps are not present between the bristle strips at the surface which engages the rotor blade. In the present disclosure, the continuous surface is created by flaring the bristle packs, i.e. the width at the outer diameter (O_D) of the bristle pack is smaller than the width at the inner diameter (I_D) of the bristle pack such that the O_D is tapered and the I_D is flared relative to each other. To flare the bristle packs, their O_D is constrained and is not continuous, since there are gaps between adjacent bristle packs at the O_D.

There are several ways that the compliant brush shroud assembly can be designed with a flared bristle configuration to form a substantially continuous bristle distribution across the width of the shroud. Four exemplary configuration will be described herein below: an annular shroud ring, an insert brush strip, a tufted ring, and a hybrid design. All of these embodiments include the aforementioned flared configuration. As used herein, the term “flared” with respect to the bristle packs, strips, or tufts means that the axial width at the inner diameter (or free ends) of the bristles is greater than that at the outer diameter. As also used herein, the term “bristle” refers to an individual strand, “bristle pack” refers to more than one bristle held together, and “bristle strip” refers to more than one bristle pack held together. In the embodiments which follow, all parts which are the same, or similar to, each other are noted with the same two last numbers, but preceded by a different numeral, depending upon the embodiment. For example, the housing in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is numbered 114, i.e. a “1” as the prefix, followed by 14, whereas for the second embodiment the housing would be 214, and so on.

In addition to the foregoing, the bristles may preferably be made of a high temperature alloy, such as a cobalt-based superalloy (for example Haynes 25) to help maintain the shape and orientation of the bristles, and to provide wear-resistance. The clearance between the free ends of the bristles and the tip of the rotating blade can be significantly reduced in any of the embodiments described herein below from the prior art to, for example about 0.005″. As discussed herein above, the corresponding clearance of a conventional rigid casing is much larger, typically 0.025-0.05″. During a short-duration rub, such as a compressor stall, the bristle packs deflect away elastically and spring back to restore the designed clearance when the rotor/blade deflection subsides to normal conditions. In contrast, when conventional abradable seals are worn, the clearance is permanently enlarged even after the rotor/blade deflection subsides to normal conditions.

In any of the four embodiments discussed herein below, the bristles are preferably disposed at an angle, “θ” with respect to the radial direction, in the direction of blade rotation “R” (see FIG. 12). It has been discovered during low speed incursion tests (see Example 1 below) using rotors with blades, such as fans or compressors with discontinuous outer surfaces, that a phenomenon can occur wherein bristles having angles higher than about 25° (θ) are sucked down” toward the rotating blades. In particular, at a certain blade pass frequency, a suction field is created that is associated with individual blades which pulls the bristle packs toward the rotating blades, thereby straightening the angled bristles. As illustrated in FIG. 12, bristle tips are pulled toward the rotating blades by approximately l(1−cos θ), where l is the bristle length and θ is the bristle angle. The bristle “suck down” causes additional interference of the bristle pack with the rotating blade which can result in severe damage to both the bristle pack and the rotating blades, or any rotating interrupted surface, for example a shrouded blade (see FIG. 13.) It has been further observed during low speed incursion tests that the propensity for bristle suck down, along with associated bristle and blade damage, is directly related to the bristle angle. In particular, that bristle packs become more resistant to the “suck down” phenomenon at lower bristle angles. There exists a defined clearance, or gap, between the brush shroud I_D and blade tip clearance beyond which potential bristle instability can be observed resulting in bristle and blade damage. As illustrated in FIG. 14, this defined clearance or gap is decreased with the bristle angle, for example, at a bristle angle of about 10°, the bristle pack withstood some interference (or incursion) during testing of about 0.015″ of the blade tip into the bristle pack. At high bristle angles, for example about 45°, the bristle pack was sucked or pulled down into the blade, where the blade tip gap was about 0.035″.

Flared bristle strips have been found to be more prone to bristle suck down compared to unflared strips (FIG. 14.) However, even with an increased likelihood of being “sucked down” into the blade, damage to unflared strips was found to be significantly higher than the damage to flared strips under similar operating conditions. Thus, flaring has been found to be beneficial even with an increased propensity for “suck down.” As also shown in FIG. 14, brush seals having front and back plates appeared to be less prone to bristle suck down at similar bristle angles than U-ring/bristle strip flared assemblies. For example, at a 45° bristle angle, the critical gap for an unflared brush seal having a front and back plate was 0.005″ as compared to 0.035″ for the flared, U-ring/bristle strip assemblies.

The present embodiment will be further illustrated by the following example, which is intended to be illustrative in nature and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure.

EXAMPLE 1

Low speed incursion tests were conducted with a variety of both flared and unflared bristle strips. Also, several samples were fabricated with a low bristle angle of about 10°, to minimize the interference of the bristles with the rotating blade tips. The bristle interference proportional to l(1−Cos θ), where l is the bristle length and θ bristle angle. By lowering the angle, the bristle pack radial stiffness was also increased. In the extreme case of 0° bristle angle, there will be no ‘bristle suck down’. However, bristle pack may tend to buckle instead of bending and increase the severity of the impact damage.

TABLE 1
Bristle Characteristics of Low Speed Incursion Tests
			Flared (F)	Estimated Radial
			Unflared	Stiffness
Sample #	Bristle Angle	Bristle Density	(U)	Psi/mil
1	45°	1500/inch	U	.33
2	45°	1500/inch	F	.33
3	35°	1300/inch	U	.54
4	35°	1300/inch	F	.54
5	25°	1100/inch	U	1.35
6	25°	1100/inch	F	1.35
7	10°	1100/inch	F	10.88
8	10°	1500/inch	F	13.99

The I_D of the samples was ED machined to 11″, same as the rotor O_D. During each test, the rotor was brought up to 3200 rpm at a gap of 0.5″. The samples were slowly brought closer to the rotor and the test was terminated when the bristle pack instability or ‘bristle suck down’ was observed by a high speed video camera. These critical clearance or interference values at which violent bristle instability was observed are summarized in Table II.

TABLE II
Critical Clearance or Interference Values for Various Bristle
Samples During Low Speed Incursion Tests
(11″ diameter rotor, 3200 rpm)
		Critical
Sample #	Strip Characteristics	Clearance/Interference
1	45°/1500, unflared	.035″ clearance
2	45°/1500, flared	.035″ clearance
3	35°/1300, unflared	.010″ clearance
4	35°/1300, flared	.015″ clearance
5	25°/1100, unflared	.001″ clearance
6	25°/1100, flared	.005″ clearance
7	10°/1100, flared	.005″ interference
8	10°/1500, flared	.012″ interference
9	Standard brush seal	.005″ clearance
	segment

The only samples, which withstood rotor incursions, were those with a 10° bristle angle. In fact, the 10°/1500 bristle per inch, shroud specimen withstood about a 0.012″ incursion for several minutes. FIG. 14 illustrates the critical clearance/interference for bristle instability as a function of bristle angle. Clearly, the data indicates that a lower bristle angle and a stiffer bristle pack offer a more stable or robust shroud design.

The higher angle unflared samples were more severely damaged during testing as they lost majority of the bristles. Their flared counterparts were also damaged, but the majority of the bristles remained still attached.

In view of the foregoing, it has been found that in addition to creating a continuous surface by flaring the bristle packs, in order to maximize performance of a compliant brush shroud surrounding a rotating, interrupted surface such as an unshrouded or a shrouded blade, it is preferably to minimize the bristle angle to between about 1-25 degrees, and most preferably to between about 1-15 degrees. In this manner, compression efficiency and proper functioning of the brush shroud is enhanced by the bristle pack remaining stable at a zero blade tip clearance during a “line-on-line” condition where blade tips barely contact the bristle pack I_D. Flaring the bristle packs is also preferable, not only to make the I_D more continuous, but also to make the bristle pack more damage tolerant during a potential blade tip/bristle pack interference.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5A-5C, the first embodiment or shroud ring configuration is illustrated. In this embodiment, the compliant brush shroud assembly 110 having a continuous I_D is preferably fabricated by using one or more annular shroud rings 122 which are supported within housing 114, as best shown in FIG. 4. Each shroud ring preferably has a U-shaped configuration and may be welded or otherwise joined to a flexible bristle strip 124 (FIGS. 5A-5C.) In the exemplary embodiment, the flexible bristle strips 124 are fabricated by attaching a plurality of bristle packs 112 between a pair of flexible rails 126a, b for example by welding, as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C. After the bristle packs are secured to the rails 126a, b, the rails are preferably machined to a pre-determined width, such that the bristle strips (including the rails and weld 125), have a pre-determined width at the outer diameter “O_D” which is less the opening of the U-ring or the annular shroud ring. The bristle strips 124 may then be inserted and secured within the annular shroud ring 122.

The rails are inserted into the channel 128 defined by the ring such that the outer diameter of the rails are preferably in close contact with the inner diameter of the annular holder along the length thereof, and so that the free end 130 of the bristle packs extend from the holder (FIG. 5C). To make the I_D of the shroud assembly continuous, the width of the U-ring, rails and bristle packs at the O_D (W_OD) should be less than the width of the free end of the bristle packs at the I_D (W_ID). In order to achieve the appropriate dimensions, the bristle packs are compacted or constrained at their O_D by the rails and annular holder to reduce their aggregate width at the O_D. However, the constrained length of the bristle packs is a very small portion of the entire length, so that the bristle packs flare outward toward their free ends. For example, in the present embodiment the constrained length may be 8%-12%, preferably about 10% of the total length of the bristle packs although other percentages may be utilized. Thus, by constraining the O_D to ensure that the W_OD is less than the W_ID, the bristle strips flare outward, and are wider at their free ends than at the base of the rails. In order to further increase the flared dimensions at the free end, the bristle pack could be further compressed at an appropriate point midway between the bristle length to bend the bristle pack axially outward. For example, pinch rolls may be utilized as a flaring tool to further flare the free ends of the bristle packs. The annular shroud ring and bristle strips are then mounted within housing 114.

It should be appreciated that while two rails are disclosed, the flexible bristle strips can also be fabricated by attaching the bristle packs to a single, flexible rail 126 as shown in FIG. 6A. In addition, multiple strips can be captured in a single U-shaped ring, thereby making the inner diameter more continuous by placing adjacent bristle packs closer together (FIG. 7). Such modifications are within the scope of the present embodiment, as would be known to one of skill in the art.

The flexible bristle strips either with double rails or a single rail, can also be directly attached to a housing, for example by welding or brazing. The attachment may be simplified by forming channels in the housing and attaching the bristle strip to the housing, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 8.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the second embodiment or insert brush assembly 210 is illustrated. As with the shroud ring configuration, the bristle strips are flared in order to ensure a continuous surface. However, in this embodiment the annular ring is completely eliminated and channels are utilized to constrain the bristle packs. The flexible bristle packs are secured to either a single rail 226 or a double rail (not shown) to form the bristle strips 224, which are then secured directly to the housing, through a plurality of grooves or channels 232 disposed in the housing 214. For example, channels may be machined into the housing along an inner, upper edge of the housing, and the bristle strips may be welded or brazed through the channels. Alternately, other manners of forming the channels and attaching the strips therein may be utilized, as would be known to those of skill in the art.

The channels 232 and rails 226 may preferably have a stepped configuration, and the rails 226 may preferably extend from within the channels, as also shown in FIG. 8. By extending from within the channels, the rails further contact and constrain the O_D of the bristle strips. As with the first embodiment, the constrained length of the bristle strip is a very small portion of the entire length, so that the bristle strip flares outward toward the free end thereof, making the I_D of the insert shroud assembly continuous. In addition, the stepped configuration of the channels helps to prevent the rails 226 from pulling free from the channel during use. Although the channels are shown as being formed within the housing, as a unitary member, they could also be formed within a separate member and attached to the inner, upper edge of the housing.

A continuous bristle pack inner diameter can also be achieved by forming tufted bristle strips, similar to a shoe brush, as shown in FIG. 9. Referring now to FIGS. 9-10, the third embodiment or tufted ring configuration is illustrated. In order to form the tufted ring, a plurality of holes 334 are machined within a holding ring 336, for example by drilling. The holes may preferably be formed in rows “r”, and are disposed such that they are in close proximity to each other, i.e. in a close-packed pattern, preferably between about 1/10 to 2/10th of an inch apart. The orientation of the holes is preferably offset such that a hole 334a in one row fall between the two holes 334b, 334c in the adjacent rows, in order to allow for the close packing of the holes. The width and the depth of the holes is dependent upon the overall size of the bristle packs which are to be supported therein. The holes operate to constrain the bristles at the outer diameter. As with the previous embodiments, the constrained length of the bristle packs 312 should be a small portion of their entire length, so that the tufts flare open at their free ends 330. The tufts, like strips, can be flared more by compressing the tufts at a point midway between the tuft length. By controlling the size (width and depth) of the holes, the tuft length, and the distance between the tuft holes, the flared ends of the tufts can be made to contact each other thereby generating a continuous surface at the I_D, as shown in FIG. 10. It will be appreciated that the size of the tufts, the size and the spacing of the holes may (and should) be varied, so that the surface is continuous, as would be know to those of skill in the art. After the holes are formed in the holding ring, metallic bristle packs can then be inserted into the holes, and a plurality of rings may be arranged in parallel and inserted within housing 314. The final inner diameter of this brush shroud assembly may then be precision machined using Electro Discharge Machining or other similar processes such as plunge grinding.

Any of the previously described embodiments, the shroud ring configuration, the insert configuration, or the tufted ring configuration, may be utilized in combination with a backplate supporting an abradable seal to form a hybrid design. Referring now to FIG. 11, the forth embodiment or hybrid assembly 410 is illustrated. As with the previous embodiments, the bristle packs are flared in order to ensure a continuous surface. However, in this embodiment the bristle strips having a continuous surface extend for only about 25-50% of the length (“L”) of the housing 414. The remaining 50-75% of the length of the housing preferably supports a back plate 338 having an abradable seal 340 supported on an inner surface 342, and preferably made from either a felt metal or a soft coating, as is conventional.

In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the flexible bristle strips 424 are mounted within annular shroud rings 422 and supported within the housing 414, as described above with respect to the first embodiment. However, it will be appreciated that the flared bristle strips may be supported within the housing in alternate manners, for example through channels or tufted rings as described above. By combining the flared bristle strips having a continuous surface with the abradable seal, the gap clearance can be decreased in both the forward and rear section, because the wearing away of the abradable seal during short duration rubs will not interfere with performance due to the inclusion of the flared bristle strips in the forward portion of the housing. This embodiment is expected to have a lower cost and weight than the previous embodiments because the combined weight of the back plate, abradable seal and bristle strips should weigh less and be less expensive than the bristle strip assemblies alone. In addition, the cost of use can expected to be less because the bristle strip assemblies are expected to be replaced less often than conventional abradable seals, and the cost to replace the bristle strip assemblies described herein is also expected to be less than that of conventional bristle packs. Also, the abradable seal need not be replaced just because the gap clearance has become larger, since the continuous surface resulting from the forward mounted flared bristle strips should maintain the compressors performance within acceptable limits.

An alternate embodiment showing side rails having an increased width (W_R) with respect to the depth of the weld pool (D_W) is illustrated in FIG. 15. It is hypothesized that the impact of rotating blades with the bristle strips can cause extreme movement of the bristles, thereby causing the bristles to pull out of the weld pool. By increasing the depth of the side rails with respect to the weld depth, the weakest section of the bristles, i.e. the weld, is protected from the extreme vibration and/or motion of the bristle pack during impact. In addition, the increased width of the side rails may dampen bristle vibrations and reduce stress at the weld joint, thereby making the bristle pack more resistant to bristle fracture. In the present embodiment, the preferred ratio of the weld depth to the rail width is about 1:3 to about 1:20, or most preferably about 1:4 to about 1:10. Referring now to FIG. 16, a bristle strip having crimped side rails is illustrated. During welding, the side rails of the bristle strips may tend to move away from the bristle pack due to thermal distortion. In order to improve damping of the bristles, the side rails may be crimped in the direction represented by arrows “C”, during and additional step, such as rolling, coining, or cold pressing, as schematically shown in FIG. 16.

It will be appreciated that the compliant brush shroud assemblies described herein all have a good resistance to damage caused by short-duration rotor rubs so as to allow for increased performance overall and less frequent engine repairs, are relatively light weight and cost effective to manufacture and replace, if needed.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiment disclosed herein. For example, the dimensions given are approximate may be changed, as would be known to those of skill in the art. Also, the materials utilized may be substituted, as appropriate. In addition, although an annular holder is shown and described as U-shaped, it should be understood that the annular holder may take other configurations. For example, the holder may have an L-shaped configuration, with the bristle strip being secured to the holder such as by tack welding. In addition, pieces which are shown or described as unitary may be formed separately, and vice versa. Also, the brush shroud assembly may be used for land based applications, as well as the aerospace applications specifically disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of a preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope, spirit and intent of the invention.

Claims

1. A brush shroud assembly for use with a gas turbine engine, the brush shroud assembly-comprising:

at least one bristle strip including two or more bristle packs, each bristle pack being supported by at least on rail at a first end, the first end defining an outer diameter, the bristle strip further including a free second end opposite the first end defining an inner diameter, such that the width at the outer diameter is less than that at the inner diameter and the second end is flared relative to the first end;

a housing including a channel configured and dimensioned to support the bristle strip, at least one channel having an inner diameter sized to receive the at least one bristle strip therein and including an inner wall, wherein the at least one rail is supported within the at least one channel such that the bristle pack is spaced from the inner wall so that the housing is out of direct contact with the bristle pack, the flared second ends of the bristle packs extending from the housing such that the flared ends of adjacent bristle packs form a substantially continuous surface.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the number of channels corresponds to the number of bristle strips.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one rail is a double rail.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one rail extends from within the channel.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the channel has a stepped configuration.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first end of the bristle strip is further supported within an annular ring such that an outer diameter of the at least one rail is disposed adjacent an inner diameter of the annular ring, the annular ring being sized to fit within the at least one channel.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first end is constrained such that the constrained portion has a length of about 10% of the total length of the bristle pack.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one bristle strip is supported within the channel at an angle of about 1 to 25 degrees with respect to a radial direction in the direction of blade rotation.

9. A brush shroud assembly for use with a gas turbine engine, the brush shroud assembly comprising:

a housing;

at least one bristle strip including two or more bristle packs, each bristle pack being supported by at least on rail at a first end, the first end defining an outer diameter, the bristle strip further including a free second end opposite the first end defining an inner diameter, such that the width at the outer diameter is less than that at the inner diameter and the second end is flared relative to the first end;

at least one annular ring; and

wherein the at least one bristle strip is supported within a corresponding annular ring such that an outer diameter of the at least one rail is disposed adjacent an inner diameter of the corresponding annular ring, the annular ring being supported within the housing such that the flared second ends of adjacent bristle packs form a substantially continuous surface.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein two or more bristle strips are supported within a single annular ring.

11. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the annular ring is supported within a channel in the housing.

12. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the channel has a stepped configuration.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the at least one rail extends from within the channel.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the number of channels corresponds to the number of bristle strips.

15. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the first end is constrained such that the constrained portion has a length of about 10% of the total length of the bristle pack.

16. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the at least one rail is a double rail.

17. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the annular ring is generally L-shaped.

18. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the at least one annular ring is generally U-shaped.