Thermal Structural Analysis Of Circumferential Seal In Aeroengines

Carbon circumferential contact seal is an essential part in aeroengine’s seal design system. Its function is to guarantee the lubrication oil seal between the main rotor of bearing cavity and the stator. The development of this technology has good application prospect and important scientific significance to the improvement of aeroengine’s performance and life. The design process will involve strength analysis, contact analysis, heat analysis, sealing condition and its follow-up analysis, leakage characterization analysis and thermal stress and deformation analysis. The paper is aim to analyze the carbon circumferential seal’s calculation, design, performance and consummate the design system and improve the level of carbon circumferential seal’s design and analysis technology.The paper presents the carbon circumferential seal’s mathematical models of the contact load, the friction heat, the sealing condition and its follow-up, the leakage features. It developed calculation software with the Visual C++ language. Using Pro/E software to build the 3D models of seal, shaft, seal housing according to the design parameters of an aeroengine’s carbon circumference seal. Then import the model into ANSYS software to make contact analysis, steady-state thermal analysis of the circumference seal. Through those analyses it could get the value and the location of the maximum deformation, the maximum stress, the maximum contact pressure, the maximum temperature, at the same time, it could get the maximum stress of the shaft and the sealing seat. Under the premise of the contact analysis and steady-state thermal analysis the paper analyzed the heat-structure coupling of the carbon circumference seal. Comparing the results of contact analysis and heat-structure coupling analysis, it reached a conclusion that thermal stress and thermal strain effect can’t be ignored during the analysis process of circumferential seal.Using the ANSYS to process the steady-state thermal analysis and heat-structure coupling analysis of the circumferential seal in different pressure, different air temperatures, different speed conditions. It got the value of the maximum strain, the maximum temperature, the maximum contact pressure on main seal’s surface, the leakage, which were the results in different pressure, different air temperatures, and different speeds. Each value change curve of analysis results are given, and the changes of figures were analyzed.Analyzing the circumferential spring force in the ANSYS, getting the value of circumferential spring force in the condition of guaranteeing the sealing, following of the circumferential seal, the torque tends to 0 and the maximum contact pressure on the main seal surface to be the minimum.