Patent ID: 6896484

Claim:
A sealing system for reducing a gap between a tip of a turbine blade and a shroud of a turbine engine, comprising: a turbine blade assembly having at least one stage formed from a plurality of turbine blades; a blade ring radially surrounding the turbine blade assembly such that the blade ring may radially expand and contract during operation as a result of thermal expansion or contraction; a ring segment having at least one ring segment sealing surface positioned in close proximity to at least one tip of the plurality of turbine blades of the turbine blade assembly such that the ring segment forms a gap between the at least one ring segment sealing surface and the plurality of blades; a spindle fixed to the blade ring at a first end of the spindle and coupled to the ring segment at a second end of the spindle for supporting and positioning the ring segment in close proximity with at least one tip of the plurality of blades; and wherein the spindle is formed from a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion that is greater than a coefficient of thermal expansion for a material forming the blade ring.