Method of assembling a gas turbine engine

A method of assembling a seal in a split plane gas turbine engine having a compressor section, a turbine section and a rotor assembly extending through said compressor section and said turbine section, said rotor assembly supporting a compressor blade assembly and a turbine blade assembly, and including a lower compressor casing and a lower turbine casing axially aligned along a longitudinal axis of said turbine engine, the method comprising:

• i) providing a seal ring extending axially from a forward face of said turbine blade assembly;
• ii) positioning said rotor assembly in association with said lower compressor casing and said lower turbine casing, said positioning including tilting said rotor assembly at an angle relative to said longitudinal axis;
• iii) positioning an upper turbine casing over the tilted rotor assembly in engagement with said lower turbine casing, said lower turbine casing and said upper turbine casing including a circumferentially extending seal groove defining an axially facing cavity for receiving said seal ring, and said seal ring having an initial non-overlapping position in relation to said seal groove;
• iv) moving said rotor assembly in an axial direction toward said compressor section to position said seal ring in axially overlapping relation within said seal groove;
• and
• v) positioning said rotor assembly such that a longitudinal axis of said rotor assembly coincides with said longitudinal axis of said turbine engine, for effecting a further axial movement of an upper portion of said seal ring into said seal groove via another tilting of said rotor assembly.