Patent Application
20180355744
This claims the benefit of German Patent Application DE 102017209658.6, filed Jun. 8, 2017 and hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to an abradable structure for a turbomachine that is designed to be at least partially deformed and/or at least partially abraded by at least one abrading element of the turbomachine during operation thereof, the at least one abradable structure being formed at least regionally of structural elements having a respective polygonal cross section that is oriented in a rub direction of the abradable structure. Other aspects of the present invention relate to a turbomachine having an abradable structure, as well as to a method for manufacturing an abradable structure.
Abradable structures of this kind are used, for example, as stator-side abradable coatings on rotor blades of a high-pressure compressor. Abradable structures are frequently used in turbomachines when it is unavoidable, desired or, in certain operating states, likely that blade tips or sealing fins of the turbomachine and of a metallic surface make contact in the area of a casing of the turbomachine or of a shaft, for example. The abradable structure makes it possible to enhance the gap characteristics of the turbomachine, a contact between the rotor and stator of the turbomachine possibly being required to realize especially narrow gaps to increase the efficiency of the turbomachine. If the rotor of the turbomachine expands to a greater degree during operation than the casing thereof, for example, this can lead to a contacting of blade tips of the rotor and of the abradable structure configured on the casing, for example. Accordingly, this contacting can cause the radial gap between the blade tip and the abradable structure to then drop to value “0.” To protect the rotor from damage, for example, the abradable structure has a low strength in comparison thereto, allowing the blade tips to “rub into” the abradable structure without significant resistance during operation of the turbomachine.
In tribological systems, where there can be a contact between a stator vane and the rotor of the turbomachine, one or a plurality of abradable structures can be used to make possible a rubbing contact between the stator vane tip and the rotor without damaging the rotor. The abradable structures can then be accommodated on the rotor, a rubbing contact of the stator vane tip against the abradable structure being possible during operation of the turbomachine.
The most frequent application cases of turbomachines configured as turbines include a combination of abradable structures, in the form of a honeycomb seal, having rotor blades, whose tips are provided with a shroud and sealing ribs (which may also be referred to as “fins”). The shroud thereby enhances the sealing action by minimizing the gap at the blade tips; the fins being able to thereby rub into the honeycomb seal. The sealing fins are also frequently configured directly on the rotor disks. To that end, the rotor disks include arms or inner bands that essentially extend in the direction of flow or counter thereto, upon which the sealing fins are configured upstream and/or downstream and cooperate with corresponding stator-side abradable structures.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an abradable structure for a turbomachine that has favorable rubbing contact properties and favorable sealing properties. Other aspects of the present invention reside in providing a turbomachine having an abradable structure of this kind, as well as a method for manufacturing such an abradable structure.
The present invention provides an abradable structure, a turbomachine, and a method for manufacturing an abradable structure. Advantageous embodiments including useful refinements of the present invention are discussed below; advantageous embodiments of the abradable structure being considered as advantageous embodiments of the turbomachine and of the method.
A first aspect of the present invention relates to an abradable structure for a turbomachine that is designed to be at least partially deformed and/or at least partially abraded by at least one abrading element of the turbomachine during operation thereof, the at least one abradable structure being formed at least regionally of structural elements having a respective polygonal cross section that is oriented in a rub direction of the abradable structure. The structural elements may be configured as individual hollow structures and feature a structural element opening that is bounded by the polygonal cross section. The structural elements may also have different polygonal cross sections and, accordingly, different polygonal contours. The rub direction may also be understood to be a direction of a blade movement of the at least one abrading element of the turbomachine relative to the abradable structure. Accordingly, the rub direction may be understood, for example, to be a direction of a movement of a blade tip, for example, of a rotor of the turbomachine, or of a sealing fin relative to the abradable structure during operation of the turbomachine. If the abradable structure is used in the turbomachine, the rub direction may be oriented in the circumferential direction of a casing of the turbomachine or in the circumferential direction of a rotor of the turbomachine. Accordingly, the abradable structure may regionally feature a curvature in the circumferential direction, so that a gap may form between the respective blade tips and the abradable structure during operation of the turbomachine. If the size of the gap decreases, for example, due to operationally induced changes in length (for example, because of thermal expansion of the blade elements during operation of the turbomachine), then contact may occur between the blade tips and a structural surface of the abradable structure. This may cause the abradable structure to become at least partially deformed and additionally or alternatively at least partially abraded in the region of the structural surface.
The present invention provides that the structural elements have a greater extent in the rub direction than in a direction of the abradable structure that is orthogonal thereto. Thus, in comparison to the direction of the abradable structure that is orthogonal to the rub direction, the structural elements may be elongated in the rub direction. In comparison to the non-elongated polygonal cross section, a cross-sectional area of the polygonal cross section may be reduced by the elongation, particularly if the extent in the orthogonal direction is able to be decreased by the elongation in comparison to the non-elongated polygonal cross section. This cross-sectional area also corresponds to a leakage area, the sealing properties of the individual structural elements and thus of the entire abradable structure being all the better the smaller the leakage area is. In other words, the respective gap losses or flow losses decrease during operation of the turbomachine in response to the leakage area, thus the cross-sectional area of the polygonal cross sections, diminishing.
The greater extent of the structural elements in the rub direction than in the direction of the abradable structure that is orthogonal thereto also results in enhanced rubbing properties. The reason for this is that, in response to increasing elongation in the rub direction, the wall surface areas of a respective structural element become smaller in proportion to the sum of the wall surface areas and the inner surface bounded by the polygonal cross section. Thus, in other words, with increasing elongation in the rub direction, the proportion of wall surface areas in the polygonal cross section decreases in comparison to the inner surface area that is bounded by the polygonal cross section. The inner surface may correspond to an opening area of the structural element opening. This makes it altogether possible for the elongation of the structural elements to decrease the size of a rub surface where the abrading element is able to contact the abradable structure during a rubbing-in process, so that, during rubbing contact or rubbing in, the respective structural elements provide a small resistance to the abrading element, thereby enhancing the rubbing properties.
The polygonal cross section may preferably be irregular. A polygonal cross section is irregular when it has dissimilar, thus different sized interior angles. Such an irregular polygonal cross section makes it very readily possible to realize the greater extent in the rub direction than in the direction that is orthogonal thereto. The irregular polygonal cross section may preferably then be elongated in the rub direction. In this case, the irregular polygonal cross section may be symmetrically disposed relative to a plane of symmetry that runs through the rub direction or symmetrically disposed relative to a plane that is parallel thereto. This makes possible an especially uniform loading of the structural element in the case of a possible rubbing in (rubbing-in process) or rubbing against (rubbing-against process). The rub direction may extend in a circular-segment and thus curved shape in correspondence with a rotary motion of the abrading element during operation of the turbomachine, whereby the plane of symmetry is then uniquely defined by the path thereof along the rub direction.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the structural elements feature structural element walls that converge in the rub direction at least at a respective structural element end and form an acute interior angle. This is advantageous since the acute interior angle allows force to be introduced very efficiently in the rub direction into the respective structural elements, making it possible to effectively prevent any folding of the structural element walls in response to forces acting on the structural elements during the rubbing contact because of the convergence of the structural element walls in the acute interior angle. Such a folding may lead to increased leakage and thus to deteriorating sealing properties during operation of the turbomachine.
In another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the acute interior angle corresponds to an angle of between 10° and 80°, preferably of between 30° and 60°, and especially of between 38° and 55°. An angle of between 10° and 80° is understood to be within the scope of the inventive angle of 10.0°, 10.5°, 11.0°, 11.5°, 12.0°, 12.5°, 13.0°, 13.5°, 14.0°, 14.5°, 15.0°, 15.5°, 16.0°, 16.5°, 17.0°, 17.5°, 18.0°, 18.5°, 19.0°, 19.5°, 20.0°, 20.5°, 21.0°, 21.5°, 22.0°, 22.5°, 23.0°, 23.5°, 24.0°, 24.5°, 25.0°, 25.5°, 26.0°, 26.5°, 27.0°, 27.5°, 28.0°, 28.5°, 29.0°, 29.5°, 30.0°, 30.5°, 31.0°, 31.5°, 32.0°, 32.5°, 33.0°, 33.5°, 34.0°, 34.5°, 35.0°, 35.5°, 36.0°, 36.5°, 37.0°, 37.5°, 38.0°, 38.5°, 39.0°, 39.5°, 40.0°, 40.5°, 41.0°, 41.5°, 42.0°, 42.5°, 43.0°, 43.5°, 44.0°, 44.5°, 45.0°, 45.5°, 46.0°, 46.5°, 47.0°, 47.5°, 48.0°, 48.5°, 49.0°, 49.5°, 50.0°, 50.5°, 51.0°, 51.5°, 52.0°, 52.5°, 53.0°, 53.5°, 54.0°, 54.5°, 55.0°, 55.5°, 56.0°, 56.5°, 57.0°, 57.5°, 58.0°, 58.5°, 59.0°, 59.5°, 60.0°, 60.5°, 61.0°, 61.5°, 62.0°, 62.5°, 63.0°, 63.5°, 64.0°, 64.5°, 65.0°, 65.5°, 66.0°, 66.5°, 67.0°, 67.5°, 68.0°, 68.5°, 69.0°, 69.5°, 70.0°, 70.5°, 71.0°, 71.5°, 72.0°, 72.5°, 73.0°, 73.5°, 74.0°, 74.5°, 75.0°, 75.5°, 76.0°, 76.5°, 77.0°, 77.5°, 78.0°, 78.5°, 79.0°, 79.5°, 80.0°. These angles permit an especially free selection of the particular polygonal cross section of the structural elements. Especially beneficial rubbing and sealing properties are attainable at an angle of between 38° and 55°, for example. Thus, at an interior angle of 40° or 53°, excellent values may be achieved for the rubbing and sealing properties.
Another advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that the structural elements feature at least two spaced apart element walls that are oriented along the rub direction. This is advantageous since it is very readily possible to elongate the structural elements by lengthening the respective element walls; at the same time, the inner surface of the structural elements bounded by the polygonal cross section increasing to an appreciably greater extent than the wall surface area of the element walls enlarges, making it possible to very beneficially influence the rubbing properties.
Another advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that at least one structural element of the abradable structure feature a hexagonal or diamond cross section. In other words, the respective polygonal cross section may be configured as a hexagonal or as a diamond cross section. Such a hexagonal or diamond cross section makes possible an especially regular array of the structural elements of the abradable structure. This makes it possible to achieve an especially uniform sealing action over the entire abradable structure. When at least some of the structural elements have the diamond cross section, significant degrees of freedom are achieved in an array of the individual structural elements relative to each other and/or next to each other. When at least some of the structural elements have the hexagonal cross section, this makes it possible for the rubbing forces that act during a rubbing contact process to be deflected very smoothly to respective, mutually adjoining element walls or wall portions of the particular structural element.
In another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, mutually adjoining structural elements have at least one shared wall. At least regionally, the shared wall may thereby bound the respective polygonal cross section of the mutually adjoining structural elements. The shared wall may also correspond to a wall portion of a structural element wall of the respective, mutually adjoining structural elements. Forming the shared wall is advantageous since, in comparison to related art structures where the respective honeycomb walls are configured separately from each other, weight may be altogether hereby economized.
In another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the mutually adjoining structural elements mutually overlap at the shared wall. This is advantageous since the overlapping makes possible an especially compact array of the structural elements that is stiff in response to mechanical loads. In the case of such an overlapping, the shared wall may correspond to a wall portion of a structural element wall or of an element wall of the respective, mutually adjoining structural elements.
Another advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that the abradable structure have at least one carrier element that is adapted for attaching the abradable structure to the turbomachine. This is advantageous since the carrier element makes possible an especially secure attachment of the abradable structure to the turbomachine. The carrier element may be configured as a hollow-cylindrical shell part, for example, for mounting the structural elements thereon and joining them thereto.
In another advantageous embodiment, the abradable structure is formed in one piece. This is especially beneficial, for example, since adjacent, thus mutually adjoining structural elements may be manufactured together and thereby joined. This eliminates the need for a complex and costly joining of the individual structural elements, for example, by brazing, as is known from the related art.
A second aspect of the present invention relates to a turbomachine having an abradable structure in accordance with the first inventive aspect. The features derived therefrom and the advantages thereof are to be inferred from the description of the first inventive aspect. Advantageous embodiments of the first inventive aspect are thereby to be considered as advantageous embodiments of the second inventive aspect and vice versa.
A third aspect of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an abradable structure. The present invention provides that the abradable structure be produced by an additive manufacturing process, in particular by selective laser melting. This is advantageous since such additive manufacturing processes make it possible for the abradable structure to be manufactured as a single piece, thus for the production time to be reduced in comparison to related art multipiece structures. Furthermore, a manufacturing using selective laser melting permits substantial design freedom during manufacture of the individual structural elements, for example. In particular, mutually adjoining structural elements having shared walls may be thereby manufactured.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the claims and the exemplary embodiments. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the exemplary embodiments and/or described in isolation may be used not only in the particular stated combination, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, variants of the present invention are also considered to have been included and described herein that are not explicitly described and explained in the exemplary embodiments, but derive from and may be produced by separate combinations of features from the stated variants. Embodiments and combinations of features are also considered to be disclosed herein that, therefore, do not have all of the features of an originally formulated independent claim. In the drawing,
Turbomachine 40 has a plurality of blade elements, of which a blade element 44 having a blade tip 46 is shown in
Abradable structure 10 is designed to be at least partially deformed by respective blade element 44 in response to a rubbing contact process carried out between blade element 44, respectively blade tip 46 and abradable structure 10 during operation of turbomachine 40 and, in addition or, alternatively, to be at least partially abraded. In this case, abradable structure 10 may be constituted of structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 that may be adjacently disposed and, together, form the structural surface as an abradable liner. During operation of turbomachine 40, at least some of structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 may become deformed and, additionally or alternatively, abraded, to keep a gap between blade tip 46 and abradable structure 10 as small as possible and, accordingly, be able to operate turbomachine 40 at a high level of efficiency. From the overall view of
Polygonal cross sections 20, 22 preferably have an irregular form. In other words, polygonal cross sections 20, 22 have an irregular polygonal contour, as shown in the present case.
To obtain an especially favorable rub direction, as well as favorable sealing properties during operation of turbomachine 40, structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 feature a greater extent Xh, Xr in rub direction X_A than in a direction X_S of abradable structure 10 that is orthogonal to rub direction X_A. Orthogonal direction X_S is likewise shown in
Within the scope of the present description, the subscript “h” denotes a dimension that refers to the hexagonal cross section (see
At at least one respective structural element end 24 in rub direction X_A, structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 feature structural element walls 26, 28 that converge in rub direction X_A and form a respective acute interior angle ßh, ßr. Respective acute interior angle ßh, ßr may thereby correspond to an angle of between 10° and 80°, preferably of between 30° and 60°, and especially of between 38° and 55°. Especially beneficial rubbing and sealing properties of abradable structure 10 are attainable at an angle of between 38° and 55°, in particular.
Structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 may have at least two spaced apart element walls 30, 32 that are oriented along rub direction X_A. As shown in
In
Respective overhang angle αh, αr indicates an inclination of respective structural element wall 28 relative to orthogonal direction X_S. In the present case, the following angular relationships may apply for respective angles αh, αr and ßh, ßr:
2αh+ßh=180°
2αr+ßr=180°.
Especially favorable values for the rubbing and sealing properties are derived for structural elements 12, 14 having polygonal cross section 20 when the following dimension values are known:
αh=70°; ßh=40°; Lh/ah=0.868.
Accordingly, the rubbing and sealing properties are also favorable in the case of geometrically similar structural elements. Thus, transverse extent Lh may correspond, for example, to Lh=0.868 mm or—in the case of geometrically similar forms—to a multiple thereof. The same holds for side length ah that may correspond to a value of ah=1 mm.
Generally, the sealing action and rubbing properties may be enhanced in response to an increasing overhang angle αh, αr (and thus a smaller interior angle ßh, ßr). Generally, the sealing action is made possible by reducing side length ah, ar since this yields particularly small leakage areas. The rubbing properties are enhanced by enlarging side length ah, ar.
Especially effective rubbing and sealing properties are attainable for structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 having the diamond cross section (polygonal cross section 22) when the following dimension values are provided:
αr=63.5°; ßr=53°; Lr/ar=0.894.
In summary, the present invention describes an abradable structure 10 having structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18, which, with respect to the geometry thereof (polygonal cross section 20, 22), are optimized to achieve especially favorable rubbing and sealing properties during operation of turbomachine 40 having abradable structure 10 or having a plurality of such abradable structures. In comparison to related art honeycomb structures, respective structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 may have a greater wall thickness (wall web thickness dh, dr) and, accordingly, are particularly suited for manufacturing in the scope of an additive manufacturing process, for example, by selective laser melting. The honeycomb web distances (transverse extent Lh, Lr) which are narrow in comparison to related art honeycomb structures make it possible to achieve an especially favorable sealing action, thus especially favorable sealing properties. Elongating structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 in rub direction X_A also makes it possible to manufacture wall web thicknesses dh, dr having values of dh≥130 μm or dr≥130 μm without the rubbing properties being degraded in comparison to the related art honeycomb structures. The production by an additive manufacturing process makes possible a single-piece manufacturing of entire abradable structure 10, thus, for example, a one-piece manufacturing of structural elements 12, 14, 16, 18 and of carrier element 36 which may be adapted to attach abradable structure 10 to turbomachine 40. Forming abradable structure 10 in one piece makes it possible to economize on production time and on the manufacturing costs of abradable structure 10. Inconel 718 may be used, for example, as material for abradable structure 10. This material may first be prepared in powder form and be bonded to abradable structure 10 by the additive manufacturing process.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102017209658.6 | Jun 2017 | DE | national |
