Mathematical model of brush seals for gas turbine engines: A nonlinear analytical solution

Presented herein is a mathematical model employing differential equations formulation for brush seals used in gas turbine engines. These components are used to seal the bearing chamber from the environment and reduce the loss of lubricant in the atmosphere, ensuring a MTBR long enough to have required the change the seals only during the engine overhaul operation. The model assumes a single curved bristle loop in the form of a curved-bridge beam subjected to the influences of complex external loads (static and dynamic). Further, a model for clustered bristles is proposed. Specifically, the static forces acting on the curved-bridge beam include the weight of the oil capillary attached to the beam, the weight of the beam itself, the capillary force developed between the surfaces of the bristles in the brush and the temperature gradient. The dynamic forces include the leakage oil pressure and the rotation of the shaft. This complex loading induces a nonlinear large deflection on the curved-bridge beam. Also, the temperature gradient present on the bristles during the gas turbine engine operation generates a change in the geometry of the beam and in the magnitude of the forces acting on the bristles modeled as beams. In the present model, the weights are assumed as uniformly distributed forces on the surface of the beam while the capillary forces and the force generated by the rotating shaft are considered to be non-uniform. The equation expressing the curvature of the beam under general loading force is developed and one can choose the appropriate method of solving the generated differential equation after the expression of the general force is defined. Hence, the ordinary differential equation describing the nonlinear large deflection of the curved-bridge beam will be derived using general nonlinear elasticity theory.