Sundstrand Corporation

R G Keetley

Gordon F Jewess

William Dean Treece

Robert W Fawley

Phillip B Vessa

A first annular seal (46) is mounted on the housing (10) and extends into the space (32) between the compressor (26) and the turbine wheel (16). The seal (46) includes a main sealing and support section (54) adjacent the compressor (26) and an insulating section (86) adjacent the turbine wheel (16). The insulating section (86) is mounted on and generally spaced from the main support section (54). A peripheral groove (66) opens axially towards the turbine wheel (16) and is located at a radially outer extremity of the first seal (46). The groove (66) includes a first and second wall, with the first wall (70) located radially inward of the second wall (78). A mounting element (68) is attached to a radially inward side (69) of the first wall (70) to form a gap (75) between the first wall (70) and the mounting element (68). A second annular seal (74 ) includes an inner and outer edge. The inner edge (73) is sealingly engaged in the gap (75) and the second edge (79) is secured between a turbine side of the second wall (78) and the housing support (10).

Diaphragm seal plate

Combustors of gas turbine engines in which components are brazed to the combustor are not easily repairable by conventional welding because the brazed joint includes a melting point depressant which may not only cause the joint to be brittle but also the melting point of the joint to be near or below the temperatures required for welding. These problems are solved by a relatively simple and inexpensive process for producing a weld repairable combustor which includes using a brazing powder mix comprising a metal powder compatible with the metals of the combustor and the article to be brazed to the combustor, and suitable melting point depressant in powder form, heating the brazing powder mix to a first temperature sufficient to cause the brazing powder mix to become molten, and finally heating the brazing powder mix at a second temperature for a sufficient time to cause the melting point depressant to substantially diffuse away from the brazed area. The resulting combustor formed by this process can be repaired by welding when cracks or other discontinuities requiring a weld repair are situated near or at the brazed joint, and this process avoids the expensive requirement of redesign of the combustor to a welded combustor configuration which would require major tooling, equipment and processing changes.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

R G Keetley