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DAMPING SEAL FOR TURBOMACHINERYA damping seal for turbomachinery design is being offered by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for licensing under its Technology Transfer Program. The damping seal is used to replace squeeze film dampers between a high-speed rotor member and a stator member to separate pressurized fluid compartments Potential Commercial UsesThe technology may be used in high performance rocket engines and aviation turbomachinery. BenefitsThe
new damping seal for turbo-machinery restricts leakage in the manner
of a labyrinth seal but also permits extending the stable rotor speed
range to more than twice that previously possible with squeeze ilm dampers.
The TechnologySqueeze film dampers are commonly used to avoid high vibrations and instability in high performance rocket engines and aviation turbomachinery. In a typical squeeze film damper, a viscous fluid, such as oil, is trapped in a groove which houses a bearing support ring. The fluid is sealed in place with O-rings between the groove walls and the bearing support ring. The damping fluid is thus rushed and squeezed inside the groove, causing a damping effect. The damping fluid is replenished when leaks occur through the O-rings in the groove walls. The new damping seal for turbomachinery is used to seal the gap which exists between the fixed and rotating parts which separate the pressurized fluid compartments. The seal both damps rotor motion and significantly reduces fluid leakage across the gap, permitting more than doubling of the stable rotor's speed range. Options for CommercializationThe technology is patented by NASA and is available for licensed transfer to industry. It is particularly useful in applications where there is a need to damp rotor motion and reduce fluid leakage. Patent Number4,545,586 Contact for Licensing InformationTechnology
Transfer Office Key WordsTurbomachinery |
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