Patent ID: 8814169

Claim:
A brush seal assembly comprising: a front plate that is flexible, comprises a single, unitary structure, and includes an inner peripheral edge, an outer peripheral edge, and a plurality of cuts or slots extending from the outer peripheral edge toward the inner peripheral edge; the plurality of cuts or slots extend to almost the inner peripheral edge, the cuts or slots do not extend to the inner peripheral edge, and the plurality of cuts or slots define a plurality of fingers in the front plate; a retaining plate; and a bristle pack; wherein the front plate is attached to the retaining plate at one or more locations on the plurality of fingers so that the front plate is at least partially restrained by the retaining plate at a portion of the front plate adjacent or near the outer peripheral edge; the inner peripheral edge and a segment of the front plate adjacent the inner peripheral edge extend freely and are spaced from the retaining plate; the front plate is disposed between the bristle pack and the retaining plate; and the assembly is configured so that the outer peripheral edge of the front plate is free to move to a degree in the radial direction.