IP Library › Granted Patent US 12680463
Granted Patent B1
US 12680463 · App. 19/033,756 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Seal for a wave rotor disk engine

Inventors: Christopher Tait (San Mateo, CA); Pejman Akbari (Pasadena, CA); Brian Sell (Oakwood, OH); Marc Polanka (Wright-Patterson AFB, OH)
Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
F01D11/001F01D11/005F01D11/08F01D11/16F01D25/246F02C7/28F05D2230/60F05D2240/11F05D2240/55
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12680463
App. No.
19/033,756
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B1
Abstract

A unique seal for a wave rotor disk engine is disclosed herein. The seal is operable for sealing a region between a rotor and a rotor casing. The seal is spring loaded and will engage with the tip of the rotor to reduce pressure loss within the wave rotor disk engine.

Claims (20)

1 . A method comprising:

injecting an air/fuel mixture into a hub region of a rotating rotor in a wave rotor disk engine;

compressing and combusting the air/fuel mixture within a plurality of combustion channels formed between adjacent radial vanes of the rotor;

sealing combustion exhaust working fluid flow between a rotor tip of the rotating rotor with a movable seal member proximate a seal region of a rotor case;

flowing pressurized combustion working fluid through a rotor exit region of the rotor case; and

wherein the sealing includes continuously engaging the movable seal member by passively biasing towards the rotor tip during all operation of the wave rotor engine.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the continuously engaging includes urging the movable seal member toward the tip of the rotor with one or more biasing members.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein each of the biasing members include a sliding fastener connecting the movable seal member to the rotor case.

4 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising positioning each of the one or more biasing members between the rotor case and the rotor.

5 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising coupling a threaded nut to each of the sliding fasteners to hold the one or more biasing members on a shank thereof.

6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein each of the sliding fastener includes a threaded end portion threadingly engageable with the moveable seal member.

7 . A method comprising:

injecting an air/fuel mixture into a hub region of a rotating rotor in a wave rotor disk engine;

compressing and combusting the air/fuel mixture within a plurality of combustion channels formed between adjacent radial vanes of the rotor;

sealing combustion exhaust working fluid flow between a rotor tip of the rotating rotor with a movable seal member proximate a seal region of a rotor case;

flowing pressurized combustion working fluid through a rotor exit region of the rotor case;

wherein the sealing includes continuously engaging the movable seal member by passively biasing towards the rotor tip during all operation of the wave rotor engine; and

forming a plurality of head apertures in an outer wall of the rotor case and a plurality of pockets in an inner wall of the rotor case.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising positioning a threaded fastener within each of the plurality of head apertures and a bias member within each of the plurality of pockets.

9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising sliding the movable seal member along a shaft of each of the threaded fasteners toward the rotor tip to facilitate the continuously engaging step.