Turbine Seal Research at Glenn Research Center

The Seal Team

The Seal Test Facility

Our Mission

Objectives

• Develop durable, low-leakage turbomachinery seals to meet demands of next generation subsonic and supersonic engines.
• Develop seal design methods and analytical techniques to assess engine performance impact of advanced seals in a complex secondary air system.

Specific goals

• Develop seal technology to reduce specific fuel consumption (SFC) 2%.
• Validate seal performance and design models through lab. testing under simulated speeds, temperatures, and pressures.
• Demonstrate seal performance in full scale engine tests.
• Transition seals to engine service.

Technical Challenges

• Limited material (seal and coating) strength and durability under extreme temperature and surface speeds.
• Need for state of the art facilities to subject seals to required extreme conditions.
• Analysis: Need to model complex, multiple engine cavity and seal flow fields.

NASA Glenn Seal Development Timeline

Publications

Turbine Seal Reports

• Evaluation of an Active Clearance Control System Concept
• Turbomachine Interface Sealing
• Turbomachine Sealing and Secondary Flows: Part 1 - Review of Sealing Perfomance, Customer, Engine Designer, and Research Issues
• Turbomachine Sealing and Secondary Flows: Part 2 - Review of Rotordynamics Issues in Inherently Unsteady Flow Systems with Small Clearances
• Turbomachine Sealing and Secondary Flows: Part 3 - Review of Power - Stream Support, Unsteady Flow Systems, Seal and Disk Cavity Flows, Engine Externals, and Life and Reliability Issues
• Strain-Life Assessment of Grainex Mar-M 247 for NASA's Turbine Seal Test Facility
• Leakage and Power Loss Test Results for Competing Turbine Engine Seals
• Test Rig for Evaluating Active Turbine Blade Tip Clearance Control Concepts
• Turbine Engine Clearance Control Systems: Current Practices and Future Directions
• High-Speed, High-Temperature Finger Seal Test Results
• Pressure Balanced, Low Hysteresis, Finger Seal Test Results
• Advanced Seal Technology Role in Meeting Next Generation Turbine Engine Goals
• JTAGG II Brush Seal Test Results
• Engine Seal Technology Requirements to Meet NASA's Advanced Subsonic Technology Program Goals
• Relative Performance Comparison Between Baseline Labyrinth and Dual-Brush Compressor Discharge Seals in a T–700 Engine Test
• The Army/NASA Glenn Joint Seals Program

Seal Materials Reports

• Preliminary Tuft Testing of Metallic Bristles Versus PS212, PS300, and HVOF300
• High Temperature Brush Seal Tuft Testing of Selected Nickel-Chrome and Cobalt-Chrome Superalloys
• High Temperature Brush Seal Tuft Testing of Metallic Bristles Versus Chrome Carbide
• A New Tribological Test for Candidate Brush Seal Materials Evaluation
• Unique Tuft Test Facility Dramatically Reduces Brush Seal Development Costs

Patents

• Noncontacting Finger Seal - Awarded 11/2/2004, Patent #: 6811154 B2

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Links

Structural Seal Web Page :: 1996 Invention of the Year - High Temperature, Flexible, Fiber Preform Seal
Mechanical Components Branch Web Page :: Branch Publications
Tribology & Surface Science Branch
NASA :: Glenn Research Center

Contact

Official Responsible for Content: Dr. Bruce Steinetz - Mechanical Components Branch
Curator: Central Web Services
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Last Revision Tuesday, 01-May-2007 14:30:51 EDT