Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is related to pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/074,191 filed on 12 Feb. 2002, herein incorporated by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   This invention relates to brush seals. Specifically, this invention relates to bristle arrangements for brush seals. 
   Gas turbine engines commonly use brush seals. The brush seals typically prevent secondary flow from escaping through a gap between a stationary part (e.g. a diffuser case) and a rotating part (e.g. a turbine shaft). The brush seal can have other uses, such as sealing a gap between stationary parts. 
   Several sub-assemblies form a brush seal. The sub-assemblies typically include packs of wire bristles and various plates. A one stage brush seal has a side plate and a back plate that sandwich the bristles therebetween. To increase capability, the engine could use a multiple stage brush seal. The multiple stages allow a greater pressure drop across the brush seal from the upstream side to the downstream side. 
   The design process and the assembly of conventional brush seals have several drawbacks. First, the sub-assemblies of a conventional brush seal are specific to a particular brush seal size. In other words, one cannot use the sub-assemblies from a larger brush seal to build a smaller brush seal. Nor could one use the sub-assemblies from a smaller brush seal to build a larger brush seal. The inability to use a sub-assembly in more than one brush seal size has an impact on inventory and space requirements. Assembling brush seals of different sizes requires keeping every sub-assembly in inventory. All of these sub-assemblies take up space. 
   Second, the fixtures used to make the conventional sub-assemblies are also specific to each sub-assembly size. One cannot use the fixture designed for a smaller sub-assembly to make a larger sub-assembly. Nor could one use the fixture designed for a larger sub-assembly to make a smaller sub-assembly. The inability to use a fixture for making more than one sub-assembly size also impacts inventory and space requirements. Assembling different size sub-assemblies requires keeping every fixture in inventory. All of these fixtures take up even more space. 
   Third, developing a new brush seal is time consuming. As described above, the operator cannot use a current sub-assembly to make a new size of brush seal. A designer would have to design all new sub-assemblies for the new size brush seal. 
   Fourth, developing a new brush seal can be costly. As described above, one cannot use the existing fixtures to make new size sub-assemblies. The designer, in addition to designing the brush seal sub-assemblies, would also have to design fixtures for each new part. 
   Fifth, current assembly techniques do not allow for the rework of certain sections of the brush seal. If the brush seal has unsuitable characteristics (e.g. the bristle pack), then the entire brush seal is usually scrapped. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved brush seal. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bristle arrangement. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to reduce sub-assembly inventory. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to use common sub-assemblies with different brush seal sizes. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to reduce fixture inventory. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to allow the use of a fixture of one size to produce a variety of brush seal sizes. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to allow the development of a new brush seal at a reduced cost. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to allow more rapid development of a new brush seal. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to allow rework of a brush seal. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bristle arrangement that can be reworked. 
   These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in one aspect by a kit for making brush seals. The kit includes: plates for a brush seal of a first size; plates for a brush seal of a second size different than the first size; and bristle arrangements compatible with the first size but not the second size. The bristle arrangements become compatible with the second size by removing a section from, or adding a section to, the bristle arrangements. 
   These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by a method of making a bristle arrangement for a brush seal. The method comprises the steps of: providing a bristle arrangement; severing the bristle arrangement, which now has free ends; and joining the free ends. 
   These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by method of reworking a bristle arrangement for a brush seal. The method comprises the steps of: providing a bristle arrangement; removing a section from said bristle arrangement; and adding a replacement section to the bristle arrangement. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     Other uses and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the specification and the drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a bristle arrangement; 
       FIG. 2   a  is the bristle arrangement of  FIG. 1  with a section removed; 
       FIG. 2   b  is the bristle arrangement of  FIG. 2   a  with the free ends reattached; 
       FIG. 3   a  is the bristle arrangement of  FIG. 1 , split, and a section of another bristle arrangement; 
       FIG. 3   b  is the bristle arrangement and the section of bristle arrangement of  FIG. 3   a  attached together; 
       FIG. 4   a  is the bristle arrangement of  FIG. 1  with a section removed and a section of another bristle arrangement; 
       FIG. 4   b  is the bristle arrangement and the section of bristle arrangement of  FIG. 4   a  secured together; and 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a brush seal using the bristle arrangement of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  displays a bristle arrangement  100 . Being annular, one could refer to the bristle arrangement shown in the figures as a bristle ring. In this annular configuration, the bristle arrangement  100  has a diameter d 1 . The bristle arrangement  100  could, however, have other shapes. For example, the bristle arrangement could be arcuate (not shown) or linear (not shown). 
   The bristle arrangement  100  includes a plurality of bristles  101  secured together by a joint  103 . The bristles  201  could be made from any suitable metallic material, preferably 0.002″, 0.003″, 0.004 or 0.006″ diameter cobalt alloy wire. 
   The joint  103  extends continuously along the length of the bristle arrangement  100 . Preferably, the operator produces the joint  103  by welding the bristles  101  together while placed in a fixture (not shown). The operator, however, could use other methods to produce the joint  103 . U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/074,191 describes in more detail the method of making the bristle arrangement  100 . Each stage of a brush seal uses one of the bristle arrangements  100 . 
   The present invention allows the use of one size of bristle arrangements  100  in different sizes of brush seals.  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  demonstrate how the present invention alters the bristle arrangement  100  to fit in a smaller brush seal.  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  demonstrate how the present invention alters the bristle arrangement  100  to fit in a larger brush seal. 
   The operator removes material from the bristle arrangement  100  to fit in a smaller brush seal.  FIG. 2   a  displays the bristle arrangement  100  with a section  105  (shown in phantom) removed. The operator could remove the section  105  by cutting the joint  103  using a suitable technique. Such techniques could include, for example, a punch press (not shown), wire cutter (not shown), tin snip (not shown), electrical discharge machining (EDM) equipment (not shown) or a cut-off wheel (not shown). 
   Cutting the bristle arrangement  100  to remove the section  105  produces free ends  107 ,  109 . The operator preferably reattaches the free ends  107 ,  109 . The operator could place the free ends  107 ,  109  in a suitable fixture (not shown) and use a suitable technique to secure the free ends  107 ,  109  together. Such techniques include, for example, welding, brazing or using an adhesive like epoxy. 
   Note that the operator may not even need to reattach the free ends  107 ,  109 . The operator could merely place the free ends  107 ,  109  in a generally abutting relationship when assembling the brush seal. 
   Securing the free ends  107 ,  109  together (or merely abutting the free ends  107 ,  109 ) reduces the size of the bristle arrangement  100 ′.  FIG. 2   b  displays the bristle arrangement  100 ′ after removing the section  105  and attaching the free ends  107 ,  109 . The bristle arrangement  100 ′ is again continuous and now has a diameter d 2  that is smaller than the original diameter d 1 . The bristle arrangement  100 ′ can now be used in a smaller brush seal than with the original bristle arrangement  100 . For example, the present invention allows the use of a 6″ outer diameter bristle arrangement in a brush seal with a 4.5″ inner diameter. 
   The operator adds material to the bristle arrangement  100  to fit in a larger brush seal.  FIG. 3   a  displays the bristle arrangement  100  split (and without a section removed). The operator could split the bristle arrangement  100  by any of the aforementioned severing techniques. The split produces the free ends  107 ,  109 . 
     FIG. 3   a  also shows an additional section  111 . The additional section  111  was preferably removed from another (not shown) bristle arrangement  100 . The additional section  111  has free ends  113 ,  115 . 
   The operator preferably secures the additional section  111  to the bristle arrangement  100 . The operator could place the additional section  111  and the bristle arrangement  100  in a suitable fixture (not shown), then attach the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  113 ,  115 . The operator could use any of the aforementioned attachment techniques to secure the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  113 ,  115  together. 
   As described above, the operator may not need to attach the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  113 ,  115 . The operator could merely place the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  113 ,  115  in a generally abutting relationship when assembling the brush seal. 
   Adding the additional section  111  increases the size of the bristle arrangement  100 ″.  FIG. 3   b  displays the bristle arrangement  100 ″ after splitting the bristle ring  100  and adding the additional section  111 . The bristle arrangement  100 ″ is again continuous and now has a diameter d 3  that is larger than the original diameter d 1 . The bristle arrangement  100 ″ can now be used in a larger brush seal than with the original bristle arrangement  100 . For example, the present invention allows the use of a 6″ outer diameter bristle arrangement in a brush seal with a 7.5″ inner diameter. 
   The operator could take advantage of the present invention even without changing the diameter of the bristle arrangement  100 . This allows the present invention, for example, to rework the bristle arrangement  100 . 
     FIG. 4   a  displays the bristle arrangement  100  with an unsuitable section  117  (shown in phantom) removed. The unsuitable section  117  could have, for example, unwanted aesthetic characteristics, damage, or improper bristle orientation. 
   The operator removes the unsuitable section  117  from the bristle arrangement  100  with any of the aforementioned cutting techniques. Removing the unsuitable section  117  produces the free ends  107 ,  109 . 
     FIG. 4   a  also shows a replacement section  119 . The replacement section  119  was preferably removed from another (not shown) bristle arrangement  100 . The replacement section  119  has free ends  121 ,  123 . As a replacement, the replacement section  119  preferably is the same size as the unsuitable section  117 . However, other sizes could be used. 
   The operator preferably secures the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  121 ,  123  together. The operator could place the bristle arrangement  100  and the replacement section  119  in a suitable fixture (not shown) and use any of the aforementioned techniques to attach the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  121 ,  123 . 
   As described above, the operator may not even need to attach the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  121   123 . The operator could merely place the free ends  107 ,  109 ,  121 ,  123  in a generally abutting relationship. 
     FIG. 4   b  displays the bristle arrangement  100 ′″ after removing the unsuitable section  117  and adding the replacement section  119 . The bristle arrangement  100 ′″ is again continuous. The bristle arrangement  100 ′″ preferably retains the same diameter d 1  as the original bristle arrangement  100 . Thus, the bristle arrangement  100 ′″ can be used in the same size brush seal as the original bristle arrangement  100 . 
     FIG. 5  displays one embodiment of a brush seal  200  that could use any of the bristle arrangements of the present invention. The single stage brush seal includes a back plate  201  and a side plate  203 . When assembled, the metal plates  201 ,  203  flank the bristle arrangement  100 . As one example, the brush seal  200  could be assembled by placing the plates  201 ,  203  and the bristle arrangement  100  in a fixture (not shown) and welding the sub-assemblies together. 
   Table 1 demonstrates the potential capabilities of the present invention. In a specific sense, the table shows that the present invention allows the use of one size bristle arrangement to produce multiple sizes of brush seals. For example, the table shows that a bristle arrangement having a 16″ outer diameter can be used on any brush seal with an inner diameter of between 12″ and 20″. 
   In a broader sense, the present invention allows the use of selected sizes of bristle arrangements to produce a wide range of brush seal sizes. For example, the table shows that five sizes of bristle arrangements can produce a variety of brush seals ranging from 4.5″ to 38″ in diameter. 
   
     
       
             
             
             
           
             
             
             
           
         
             
               TABLE 1 
             
             
                 
             
             
               Bristle Arrangement 
               Min Brush Seal 
               Max Brush Seal 
             
             
               OD (in.) 
               ID (in.) 
               ID (in.) 
             
             
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
             
           
        
         
             
               6 
               4.5 
               7.5 
             
             
               10 
               7.5 
               12.5 
             
             
               16 
               12 
               20 
             
             
               24 
               19 
               29 
             
             
               32 
               26 
               38 
             
             
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   The present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures. It is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.

Technology Category: f