Compressible Flow Calculation for Brush Seals Embedded Within Stepped Labyrinth Tooth Arrays

In this paper an existing compressible flow calculation for stepped labyrinth tooth arrays is modified to incorporate brush sealing technology. The aim of this paper is to provide a calculation which can quickly be used by engineers to evaluate any benefits which could be provided by implementing brush seals in their machine design. This eliminates the need for more complex computer simulations which can add upfront cost to a feasibility study. The labyrinth/brush iterative calculation method is supported by physical tests to provide an approximation of the performance gains possible.