Tests of Finger Seals

A report discusses tests of finger seals, which were described in “Pressure- Balanced, Low-Hysteresis Finger Seal” (LEW-16840), which appears on page 52 in this issue. Like a labyrinth or brush seal, a finger seal is used (typically in a gas turbine) to minimize a leakage flow along a rotating shaft. The report describes baseline (subject to considerable hysteresis) and pressure- balanced (low-hysteresis) brush seals and presents results of hysteresis, performance, and endurance tests of the seals in a seal rig at Glenn Research Center. The report concludes that a finger-seal design is ready for engine testing.