General Electric Company

Ge Infrastructure Technology, LLC

Christopher Walter Falcone

Neelesh Nandkumar Sarawate

Rahul Anil Bidkar

Grant Robert Portune

Matthew James Misch

Nora Marie Molino

Deepak Trivedi

Andrew Thomas Cross

A seal assembly includes a plurality of seal segments for sealing between a rotor and a stator, wherein, when arranged together, the rotor, the stator, and the plurality of seal segments define a high pressure region and a low pressure region. The seal assembly further includes a biasing member engaged with the plurality of seal segments and at least one feature formed in the stator. As such pressurized fluid engaging with the at least one feature provides an aft-to-forward axial force that reduces friction between interfacing aft surfaces of the plurality of seal segments and the stator.

Seal assembly for a turbine engine

A tunneling device includes a body assembly, an expander coupled to the body assembly and extending along a longitudinal axis, and a tip coupled to the expander. The expander is disposed between a force transmitter and the tip. The expander is expandable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis between a first configuration having a first width measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a second configuration having a second width measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The tip has a width measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The first width of the expander is equal to or less than the width of the tip. The force transmitter is configured to deliver a force through the expander to the tip to move the tip in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis with the expander in the second configuration.

Tunneling device including expandable section

A turbine engine includes a rotor, a stator having an aft wall, and a seal assembly having a plurality of seal segments disposed between the rotor and the stator. The rotor, the stator, and the seal assembly are arranged together to define a high pressure region and a low pressure region. The turbine engine also includes at least one biasing member engaged with one or more of the plurality of seal segments. The plurality of seal segments include a primary seal segment and a secondary seal segment connected together via a flexible joint. As such, the flexible joint allows for angular misalignment between the primary seal segment and the secondary seal segment, thereby allowing the primary seal segment to move with the rotor while the secondary seal segment maintains contact with the aft wall of the stator.

A flexible seal is used to seal between two adjacent gas turbine components. The flexible seal includes at least one metal ply having a forward end, an aft end axially separated from the forward end, and an intermediate portion between the forward end and the aft end. The intermediate portion defines a continuous curve in the circumferential direction, such that the aft end is circumferentially, and optionally radially, offset from the forward end. A plurality of relief cuts is defined through the at least one metal ply between the forward end and the aft end to increase flexibility and improve sealing in seal slots that are radially offset from one another.

Curved seal with relief cuts for adjacent gas turbine components

Various embodiments include gas turbine seals and methods of forming such seals. In some cases, a turbine includes: a first arcuate component adjacent to a second arcuate component, each arcuate component including a slot including one or more slot segments located in an end face and a seal assembly disposed in the slot. The seal assembly including a plurality of seal segments forming at least one T-junction where a first seal segment intersects a second seal segment and at least one shim seal. The plurality of seal segments define at least one chute gap. The at least one shim seal disposed in a slot proximate the at least one T-junction of the plurality of seal segments. The at least one shim seal positioned on a sidewall of the second seal segment and extending a partial length of the sidewall. The at least one shim seal seals the at least one chute gap to prevent a flow therethrough of a gas turbine hot gas path flow.

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Schenectady, NY, United States of America

Christopher Walter Falcone