Carbon seals generlly used for bearing compartments will incrasingly become unsuitable for future gas turbine engines with higher buffer air temperatures, higher pressur and rotor surface speeds.Phase I effort will focus on a synergistic approach including advanced materials and design.Three materials including a (Ti,Mo)(C,N) cermet, B-C composite and a current high temperature grade carbon MAT-1200 will be characterized for wear, oxidation resistance, impact strength and corrosion resistance in bearing oil. Both (Ti,Mo)(C,N)cermet and B-C composite have a much lower dry running wear rate, superior thermal stability and impact resistance compared to carbon.Advanced materials will be complemented with two non-contacting film riding design concepts; one based on hydrosttic arch-bound and another radial groove circumferential seal to furher minimize wear and degradation of leakage performance. Based on Phase I results, Phase II will focus on further design optimization using a comprehensive design code and performance testing of the down-selected design and material combination.
Keywords: Bearing Compartment Seals, Carbon Seals, Labyrinth Seals, Brush Seals, Circumferential Seals, High Temperature Carbon, Solid Lubricants
