labyrinth seal


labyrinth seal

[′lab·ə‚rinth ‚sēl] (engineering) A minimum-leakage seal that offers resistance to fluid flow while providing radial or axial clearance; a labyrinth of circumferential knives or touch points provides for successive expansion of the fluid being piped; used for gas pipes, steam engines, and turbines.

labyrinth seal

labyrinth sealA type of air and/or oil seal used around the main-shaft bearing in a gas turbine engine. The seal consists of a series of rotating blades that almost contact the seal land (the base of the seal). A small amount of air flows between the seal and the land and prevents oil from flowing past the seal. A gas seal between fixed and moving parts that compose a series of chambers, even though their sides do not quite touch, reduces the escape of gas to near zero.