Rotordynamic characteritics of incompressible-flow labyrinth seals

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to digital@library.tamu.edu, referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references.A finite-element-based perturbation model, initially developed for straight annular seals, has been extended to the labyrinth seal problem. The rotordynamic coefficients for two different labyrinth seal configurations, namely those of one- and five-chambers are investigated. The rotordynamic coefficients for both configurations are computed and are in good agreement with the existing experimental data. The fluid forces on the seal are essentially parabolic, as is the case for seals in general. The final outcome of the study is consistent with the general belief that labyrinth seals impart rotordynamic instability. On the basis of relative stability, the five-chamber labyrinth seal offers less of this instability than the one-chamber labyrinth seal