Low leakage seal for tower shaft
A gas turbine engine includes a shaft compartment containing at least one main shaft which rotates about a main axis of rotation; and a tower shaft engaged with the at least one main shaft for rotation about a tower shaft axis of rotation, the tower shaft being mounted in a bearing compartment extending away from the shaft compartment, wherein the bearing compartment is sealed against leakage from inside the bearing compartment to ambient. The seal can be produced using a tower shaft seal held in a seal housing and sealing against one or more faces of the tower shaft assembly or components.
1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
an engine case defining an engine interior space;
a shaft compartment containing at least one main shaft which rotates about a main axis of rotation, the shaft compartment being within the interior space; and
a tower shaft engaged with the at least one main shaft for rotation about a tower shaft axis of rotation, the tower shaft being mounted in a bearing compartment extending away from the shaft compartment and through the engine case, wherein the bearing compartment is sealed against leakage from inside the bearing compartment to outside of the bearing compartment,
further comprising a sea housing mounted to the bearing compartment, and a seal member mounted in the seal housing and sealing against a bearing sleeve axial end face of the tower shaft,
further comprising a spring member positioned within the seal housing for exerting a bias force against the seal member toward the bearing sleeve axial end face of the tower shaft, and
wherein the seal housing has a recessed area and the spring member is positioned in the recessed area.
2. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing compartment is sealed against pressure leakage where the tower shaft extends out of the bearing compartment.
3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the tower shaft further comprises a bearing sleeve, and wherein a tower shaft seal is positioned to seal against the bearing sleeve.
4. The gas turbine engine of claim 3 , wherein the bearing sleeve rotates with the tower shaft, and rotates relative to the tower shaft seal.
5. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the seal member is a carbon seal.
6. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 , wherein the seal member seals against the axial end face and a side face of the bearing sleeve.
7. A method for sealing a bearing compartment of a tower shaft of a gas turbine engine, the bearing compartment being defined in part by an engine case of the gas turbine engine, the method comprising positioning a tower shaft seal between the engine case and the tower shaft, whereby the tower shaft seal seals the bearing compartment against leakage from the bearing compartment, through the engine case, and to outside of the bearing compartment,
further comprising a seal housing mounted to the bearing compartment, and a seal member mounted in the seal housing and sealing against a bearing sleeve axial end face of the tower shaft,
further comprising a spring member positioned within the seal housing for exerting a bias force against the seal member toward the bearing sleeve axial end face of the tower shaft, and
wherein the seal housing has a recessed area and the spring member is positioned in the recessed area.