Patent ID: 8205889

Claim:
A method for assembling a rotary machine, said method comprising: providing at least one seal assembly that includes at least one annular seal housing defined by a top wall, a front wall, and a rear wall, that are connected together such that a cavity is defined within the housing; coupling a plurality of flexible plates within the cavity such that the plates are axially-spaced from the front wall and the rear wall within the cavity; coupling at least one side plate to the at least one annular seal housing such that the at least one side plate is adjacent to at least one of a front side of the front wall and a rear side of the rear wall, and is moveable in at least one direction that is substantially perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the rotary machine with respect to said at least one of the front wall and the rear wall; and coupling the at least one sealing assembly within a rotary machine to facilitate sealing between a rotary component and a stator component.