Compliant finer seal

Abstract

A seal for inhibiting the flowing of a gas or liquid in the stream along a shaft within a machine housing, the shaft having an axis of rotation in a predetermined radius, the seal comprising a seal housing attached to the machine housing, and a plurality of fingers extending axially upstream from the seal housing the fingers annularly surrounding the shaft and circumferentially spaced from each other, the fingers extending to contract the shaft when the shaft is not rotating, and the fingers curved in the same direction as the shaft, the radius of curvature of the fingers being greater than the radius of curvature of the shaft. The fingers may be angled away from the direction of rotation, have pockets in the radially inner surface of the fingers, and/or have a plurality of strips extending from the housing radially outside of the fingers and annularly surrounding the shaft, the strips covering the circumferential space between the fingers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.