Reinforced sealing rings

A sealing ring assembly comprising:

• at least one ring segment;
• a feature reinforcing the at least one ring segment;
• and
• a bonding layer attached to the feature and to the at least one ring segment, the bonding layer pre-fabricated based on a geometry of the feature.

A sealing ring assembly formed by the method comprising:

• arranging a bonding layer to a surface of at least one ring segment;
• arranging a reinforcement feature to the bonding layer, wherein the reinforcement feature is arranged along and opposite to the surface;
• heating the sealing ring assembly to a first temperature at least high enough to melt a bonding material of the bonding layer and higher than an operating temperature for the sealing ring assembly;
• and
• cooling the sealing ring assembly to a second temperature lower than the first temperature so that the reinforcement feature is affixed to the at least one ring segment.

A method for forming a sealing ring assembly, the method comprising:

• arranging a bonding layer to a surface of at least one ring segment;
• arranging a reinforcement feature to the bonding layer, wherein the reinforcement feature is arranged along and opposite to the surface;
• heating the sealing ring assembly to a first temperature at least high enough to melt a bonding material of the bonding layer and higher than an operating temperature for the sealing ring assembly;
• and
• cooling the sealing ring assembly to a second temperature lower than the first temperature so that the reinforcement feature is affixed to the at least one ring segment.