An improved sealing apparatus and associated methods are disclosed herein. The sealing apparatus includes a housing defining a center axis, an alignment element positioned around the center axis, and a sealing element fixedly attached with the alignment element. The alignment element has first and second protrusions extending toward the center axis. The sealing element has a third protrusion extending toward the center axis. The alignment element is made of a first material with less elasticity than a second material of which the sealing element is made.

A gasket for providing a gas and fluid tight between parts of an internal combustion engine, for example around a combustion chamber opening, is provided. The gasket includes a functional layer with a full embossment spaced from the combustion chamber opening. A stopper layer is attached to the functional layer adjacent the combustion chamber opening. After attaching the stopper layer to the functional layer, half embossments are simultaneously formed in the functional layer and the stopper layer adjacent the combustion chamber opening. The aligned half embossments are together referred to as a half-stop. The half-stop maintains the load on the stopper layer, limits compression on the full embossment, and protects the full embossment from combustion gases when the gasket is compressed between two parts of the internal combustion engine.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a labyrinth seal using wire arc additive manufacturing, which is mounted between a diaphragm of a turbine and a turbine rotor to induce a smooth rotation of the turbine rotor and preventing gas leakage by minimizing friction between the diaphragm of a turbine and a turbine rotor when a rotating body such as the turbine rotor rotates inside a fixed body such as the diaphragm, and which includes a ring-shaped body part and a tooth part protruding on one side of the ring-shaped body part, wherein the labyrinth seal is deposition-manufactured by 3D printing, the body part is manufactured by the wire arc additive manufacturing, and the tooth part is manufactured by a directed energy deposition.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a labyrinth seal using wire arc additive manufacturing, which is mounted between a diaphragm of a turbine and a turbine rotor to induce a smooth rotation of the turbine rotor and preventing gas leakage by minimizing friction between the diaphragm of a turbine and a turbine rotor when a rotating body such as the turbine rotor rotates inside a fixed body such as the diaphragm, and which includes a ring-shaped body part and a tooth part protruding on one side of the ring-shaped body part, wherein the labyrinth seal is deposition-manufactured by 3D printing, the body part is manufactured by the wire arc additive manufacturing, and the tooth part is manufactured by a directed energy deposition.

A leaf seal is proposed for effecting a seal between two coaxial and relatively rotating components. The seal has an annular pack of stacked leaves, the pack being mountable to a first one of the components at root portions of the leaves and extending towards the other component such that end edges of the leaves cooperate to define a seal surface of the pack which is presented for air-riding interaction with a surface of the other component during relative rotation between the components such that, in use, a pressure drop is maintained axially across the pack. The seal surface of the pack incorporates a plurality of hydrodynamic lift-generating recesses spaced circumferentially around the pack. Each said recess extends circumferentially across a plurality of adjacent leaves in the pack, each of which leaves being spaced radially from said surface of the other component along at least part of its end edge.

A seal structure includes: first and second members defining a hollow internal area of a fluid device; and a seal member fixed to the first member for sealing a gap between the first and second members. The seal member includes a sliding contact member being in sliding contact with a surface of the second member and formed of a resin. The second member includes a resin layer and a resin layer holding structure. The resin layer is formed by sliding the second member on the sliding contact member to transfer the resin forming the sliding contact member onto a sliding contact portion of the surface of the second member at which the second member comes into contact with the sliding contact member. The resin layer holding structure is a porous film formed by electric discharge surface treatment and holds the resin layer in the sliding contact portion.

A technique involves a packer formed as an expandable packer with an internal expandable bladder. The expandable bladder is formed with a section that is radially enlarged relative to an axial end of the expandable bladder when the bladder is in a relaxed state. The bladder configuration enables use of a reduced expansion ratio while still allowing expansion of the packer to a desired large diameter.

Processes for producing near net-shape panels and panels formed thereby. The processes include forming a preform to comprise a stack of multiple plies that contain an uncured expandable foam material. The preform has regions that differ from each other by the number and/or volume of the plies therein. The preform and its plies are then cured within a restricted volume to produce a near net-shape panel. The curing step causes the expandable foam material to expand, and the restricted volume is sized so that the number and volume of the plies within the regions of the preform cause zones within the panel to have different densities and/or thicknesses.

The method includes providing a generally annular sealing element, the sealing element having an inner circumferential sealing surface configured to engage with a relatively movable member, and an outer casing blank including one of: a generally axially-extending section and a generally radially-extending section extending inwardly from the axially-extending section; and a generally annular disk and a generally cylindrical tube. The method may also include determining a desired diameter for a generally annular outer casing, removing a portion of the provided one of the radially-extending section and the annular disk, such that a diameter of the outer casing blank is about equal to the desired diameter, and coupling the sealing element to the outer casing blank after removing the portion of the provided one of the radially-extending section and the disk.

A sealing assembly for establishing a gas and fluid tight seal in an internal combustion engine is provided. The sealing assembly includes a plate of metal which has a plurality of openings and at least one generally flat surface. The plate also has at least one shelf which circumferentially surrounds one of the openings and which opens to the generally flat surface and the opening. The sealing assembly further includes at least one sealing bead of an elastically compressible material which is engaged with the shelf and extends outwardly therefrom past the generally flat surface for sealing the plate with another component in the internal combustion engine.