Patent ID: 7028462

Claim:
A variable geometry exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine engine having an exhaust centerline, said nozzle comprising: a plurality of flaps arranged around the exhaust centerline, each of said flaps having a sealing surface; and a plurality of flap seals, each of said seals having a body including a sealing surface and being positioned between a pair of flaps of said plurality of flaps so that the sealing surface of the seal engages the sealing surface of at least one of said adjacent flaps, each of said bodies including a plurality of plies stacked and bonded together, wherein at least one of said seal bodies has a reinforcement bonded to said body so that at least a portion of said reinforcement is positioned between two adjacent plies in said body, and wherein at least one seal body includes an interior edge defining an opening extending through at least one ply of said plurality of plies and said reinforcement is bonded to said body so that said reinforcement overlaps at least a portion of said interior edge.