Brush seal Resistance to Inlet Swirl and Transient Loading Effects (BRISTLE)

航空和其他旅行必须变得更加节能，以实现英国政府和国际社会设定的雄心勃勃的环境目标。发动机密封是决定效率和燃料消耗的关键技术之一。在最有价值的地点部署密封件，以及开发由可靠的密封件实现的高效新型系统架构仍然存在挑战。与流行的最先进的迷宫密封相比，具有柔性元件的先进轴封可以提供几个优势。这些措施包括提高径向运动和轴接触的容忍度，以及减少泄漏，从而显著减少重量和空间包络。这项研究试图证明，有可能扩大一种密封类型-刷式密封的工作范围并提高其坚固性，从而使其在旋转机械中得到更广泛的应用。这种密封解决方案可用于提高现有产品的效率，也适用于未来的概念，包括使用替代工作液和更具电动的系统的概念。萨里大学刷式密封迭代模拟器(SUBSIS)能够捕捉到这些自适应密封圈内复杂的流体-结构相互作用，并应对其进行改进，以研究传统和压力平衡刷式密封配置下刷式密封对高水平进口涡流的抵抗力，这与在高轴速位置发现的情况一致。更新的方法还将允许评估这些密封类型在与偏移(扫掠)或扭曲的转子相关的瞬时轴侵袭下的刷毛-转子跟踪和密封泄漏特性。在今后的研究中，这些方法可以适用于模拟任何具有柔性单元的密封类型。通过学术和工业合作，这项工作将在提供未来的密封、动力和推进技术方面向前迈出重要的一步。

Air and other travel must become more energy-efficient to meet ambitious environmental targets set by the UK government and internationally. One key technology, which is important in determining efficiency and fuel burn, is engine seals. Challenges remain in deploying seals in the highest value locations, and in developing highly efficient novel system architectures which are enabled by reliable seals. Advanced shaft seals with compliant flexible elements can offer several advantages over the prevalent state-of-the-art, the labyrinth seal. These include increased tolerance of radial movements and shaft contact, and reduced leakage for a significantly reduced weight and space envelope. This research seeks to demonstrate that it is possible to expand the operating range and improve the robustness of one seal type, the brush seal, such that this can be used more widely in rotating machinery. Such sealing solutions can be used to improve the efficiency of current products, and also apply to future concepts including those with alternative working fluids and systems which are more electric. The Surrey University Brush Seal Iterative Simulator (SUBSIS) is able to capture the complex fluid-structure interaction within these adaptable seals, and shall be modified to investigate the resistance of the brush seal to high levels of inlet swirl consistent with those found at high shaft speed locations, for conventional and pressure-balanced brush seal configurations. The updated method will also allow for an assessment of the bristle-rotor tracking and seal leakage properties of these seal types under transient shaft incursion, associated with an offset (sweeping) or distorted rotor. These methods can be adapted to simulate any seal type with flexible elements in future research. Via academic and industrial collaboration, this work will contribute a significant forward step in delivering the sealing and power and propulsion technologies of the future.