Rolls-Royce Corporation

Stuart A Bridges

John Goddard

This invention provides an apparatus for and method of manufacturing a brush seal. The apparatus comprises an annular former 22 having a radially outer 24 and a radially inner 30 portion radially separated from each other by an amount G and held relative to each other by locating means 32, and further includes a travelling wire electro discharge machining device and a guide tube. A brush seal 10 is wound onto the former in the usual manner and the filament material 38 cut in the region of the gap G by the travelling wire 44. The wire is inserted between the filaments by first inserting a tube 52 therebetween and passing the wire 44 therethrough. Machining of the filament material is achieved by traversing the wire around the gap G.

Apparatus for and method of manufacturing brush seals

An apparatus for winding a filament onto a former includes one or more filament supply bobbins mounted on an annular carrier for rotation about a first axis for receiving a plurality of windings of the filament, and a translation device for moving the former relative to the carrier along a path which passes through the carrier thereby enabling the filament to be wrapped around the former. A pair of pinch rollers positioned at the mid span of each bobbin act to guide the filament onto a loading surface over which the filament passes from the pinch rollers to the former. The loading surface is formed by the radially innermost portion of the carrier and is arcuate in cross section. The apparatus reduces bending of the filament as it is wound onto the former.

Apparatus for winding a filament onto a former, having guide structure

A method of manufacturing a brush seal is disclosed which comprises producing a plurality of tufts of brush material and securing the tufts between two side plates to form a seal. Each tuft is produced by forming a tape which comprises one or more layers of parallel contiguous lengths of filaments adhesively bonded together to form a self supporting body. The tape is cut into discrete portions and these constitute tufts of bonded filaments. A plurality of tufts are assembled closely adjacent to each other in a support member with a part of each tuft projecting from the support member, and the tufts are subsequently secured in the support member. Finally the adhesive is removed from at least that part of each tuft which projects from the support member.

Brush seals

A method of manufacture of a brush for use as a seal includes the steps of winding a filament or filaments of bristle material onto a mandrel which carries on each side thereof a side-plate of the brush so that the bristle material overlies an exposed face of each side-plate at an angle of 45.degree.. After winding, a second side-plate is made to overlie the bristle material to sandwich it between the two plates and the side-plates and bristle material are welded or fused together at one edge thereof. The bristle material is then cut and the plates removed from the mandrel to produce two brushes with bristles projecting from the other edge at an angle.

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Stuart A Bridges