The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 2026
Filed:
Nov. 11, 2024
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Narendra Anand Hardikar, Bengaluru, IN;
Scott Alan Schimmels, Miamisburg, OH (US);
General Electric Company, Evendale, OH (US);
Abstract
A seal assembly for rotary machines having a wear protection assembly with an abradable covering. The wear protection assembly has one or more wear protection features that enable in-operation opening of the seal assembly by increasing a clearance between a seal rotor and a seal slider of the seal assembly. In particular, the wear protection assembly is configured to open the seal assembly and increase the clearance of the seal rotor and the seal slider during slider air-bearing wear conditions, slider counterbore wear conditions, rotor air-bearing wear conditions, or extreme vibration wear conditions. Under such or similar wear conditions (or under conditions preceding or leading up to a wear condition), the wear protection assembly yields a pressure gradient and/or a fluid flow that oppose the forces acting to decrease the clearance between the seal rotor and the seal slider.