Integrity Testing of Brush Seal in Shroud Ring of T-700 Engine

A split-ring brush seal was fabricated, installed between two labyrinth-honeycomb shroud seals, and tested in the fourth-stage turbine of a T-700 engine. The annealed Haynes 25 bristles rubbed directly against the nonconditioned, irregular René 80 turbine blade shroud surface. A total of 21 hr of cyclic and steady-state data were taken with surface speeds to 335 m/s (1100 ft/s) and shroud temperatures to 620 °C (1150 °F). Wear appeared to be rapid initially, with an orange flash of hot brush fragments during the first engine startup, to minimal after 10 hr of operation. The brush survived the testing but experienced some bristle pullouts and severe bristle wear; some turbine interface wear and possible material transfer was noted. Future design concerns center on tribological behavior at the interface with or without lubricants.