Abstract: Wire is wound from spool 10 onto drum 15 where a multiple strand rope is formed and gripped at multiple locations. The gripped rope is cut into individual bundles, one end of each bundle being bonded to join the wires of the bundle together. The tufts may then be used to form a brush seal.

Abstract: A segmented brush seal (10) having coaxial annular backing (20) and side (25) plates sandwiching a plurality of tightly packed, circumferentially arrayed bristles (30) which extend radially inwardly at a constant circumferential skew angle, and its method of manufacture, is disclosed. The side plate (25) has a plurality of radially inwardly extending tabs (32) each having a tab end (34) which extends proximate to an inner diameter (22) of the backing plate. The sandwiched plates (20, 25) and bristles (30) are welded together at each tab (32), wherein the resulting weld zone (50) lenghtwisely extends from the radially innermost tab end (34) to an outer circumferential weld (40) at the local bristle skew angle. The seal is then lengthwisely bifurcated through each weld zone (50) at the local bristle skew angle to produce the segmented seal (10).

Abstract: A segmented brush seal (10) having coaxial annular backing (20) and side (25) plates sandwiching a plurality of tightly packed, circumferentially arrayed bristles (30) which extend radially inwardly at a constant circumferential skew angle, and its method of manufacture, is disclosed. The side plate (25) has a plurality of radially inwardly extending tabs (32) each having a tab end (34) which extends proximate to an inner diameter (22) of the backing plate. The sandwiched plates (20, 25) and bristles (30) are welded together at each tab (32), wherein the resulting weld zone (50) lengthwisely extends from the radially innermost tab end (34) to an outer circumferentially weld (40) at the local bristle skew angle. The seal is then lengthwisely bifurcated through each weld zone (50) at the local bristle skew angle to produce the segmented seal (10).