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A seal member for effecting a seal preventing fluid flow in an axial direction through an annular space formed between two relatively moving components including a rotatable shaft and a stator structure. The seal member includes a plurality of flexible seal strips. Each seal strip includes a planar

A seal member for effecting a seal preventing fluid flow in an axial direction through an annular space formed between two relatively moving components including a rotatable shaft and a stator structure. The seal member includes a plurality of flexible seal strips. Each seal strip includes a planar plate extending radially through the annular space and having a radially outer end supported to the stator structure and a radially inner end defining a tip portion extending widthwise in the axial direction engaged in sliding contact with a peripheral surface of the rotatable shaft. At least one of the seal strips includes a plurality of perforations extending through the seal strip and located between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the seal strip for effecting an increased flexibility of the seal strip adjacent to the tip portion.

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1. A seal assembly in a turbine engine having a housing and a rotatable shaft extending through the housing, a seal member supported on the housing and provided in combination with the housing and the rotatable shaft to form the seal assembly with the seal member positioned in sliding contact with t

1. A seal assembly in a turbine engine having a housing and a rotatable shaft extending through the housing, a seal member supported on the housing and provided in combination with the housing and the rotatable shaft to form the seal assembly with the seal member positioned in sliding contact with the rotatable shaft and defining a seal preventing fluid flow in an axial direction through an annular space formed between the housing and the rotatable shaft, the shaft rotating in a circumferential direction, the seal assembly comprising: a stator structure supported on the housing of the turbine engine;a plurality of flexible seal strips, each said seal strip comprising a planar plate extending lengthwise radially through the annular space and having a radially outer end supported to said stator structure and each said plate having a radially inner end comprising a tip portion extending widthwise in the axial direction engaged in sliding contact with a peripheral surface of said rotatable shaft; andat least one of said seal strips comprising a plurality of perforations extending through a thickness of said at least one seal strip in the circumferential direction and arranged spaced from each other in the axial direction in a row located between axially spaced leading and trailing edges of said at least one seal strip, said perforations defining an axially extending hinge location radially outwardly from said radially inner end for effecting an increased flexing movement in the circumferential direction of a portion of said at least one seal strip defined between said hinge location and said radially inner end, wherein said increased flexing movement effected by said perforations is greater in the circumferential direction than in the axial direction. 2. The seal assembly of claim 1, wherein said plurality of perforations comprise elongated perforations having a radially extending length dimension that is greater than a width dimension extending in the axial direction. 3. The seal assembly of claim 2, wherein said perforations comprise radially inner terminal ends and radially outer terminal ends, said radially outer terminal ends spaced radially inwardly from said radially outer end of said at least one seal strip. 4. The seal assembly of claim 3, wherein said radially inner ends of said perforations comprise openings at said tip portion of said at least one seal strip whereby a plurality of leaves, separated by said perforations, are defined at said tip portion for independent movement relative to each other. 5. The seal assembly of claim 4, wherein said perforations comprise V-shaped notches extending into said at least one seal strip from said tip portion. 6. The seal assembly of claim 3, wherein said radially inner terminal ends of said perforations are spaced radially outwardly from said tip portion of said at least one seal strip. 7. The seal assembly of claim 1, wherein said plurality of perforations comprise simple closed figures. 8. The seal assembly of claim 7, wherein said plurality of perforations comprise circles. 9. The seal assembly of claim 7, wherein said perforations define a plurality of axially extending rows of perforations spaced radially from each other for effecting increased flexibility of a portion of said at least one seal strip radially inwardly from said axially extending rows of perforations. 10. The seal assembly of claim 9, wherein at least one of said axially extending rows of perforations comprise a plurality of radially elongated perforations spaced radially from at least one axially extending row of said plurality of perforations comprising simple closed figures. 11. The seal assembly of claim 1, wherein at least two adjacent seal strips comprise said plurality of perforations, the perforations of one of said adjacent seal strips being displaced from alignment with the perforations of the other of said adjacent seal strips. 12. A seal assembly in a turbine engine having a housing and a rotatable shaft extending through the housing, a seal member supported on the housing and provided in combination with the housing and the rotatable shaft to form the seal assembly with the seal member positioned in sliding contact with the rotatable shaft and defining a seal preventing fluid flow in an axial direction through an annular space formed between the housing and the rotatable shaft, the shaft rotating in a circumferential direction, the seal assembly comprising: a stator structure supported on the housing of the turbine engine;a plurality of flexible seal strips, each said seal strip comprising a planar plate extending radially through the annular space and having a radially outer end supported to said stator structure and each said plate having a radially inner end comprising a tip portion extending widthwise in the axial direction engaged in sliding contact with a peripheral surface of said rotatable shaft; andsaid seal strips comprising a plurality of elongated perforations wherein each said seal strip includes at least one of said perforations, said perforations extending through a thickness of said seal strips in the circumferential direction and located between axially spaced leading edges and trailing edges of said seal strips, and said perforations having a direction of elongation extending radially in a predetermined region of said seal strips between said radially outer end and said radially inner end, and said perforations defining a hinge location for effecting an increased flexibility of said seal strips in the circumferential direction between said hinge location and said radially inner end, wherein said increased flexibility effected by said perforations is greater in the circumferential direction than in the axial direction. 13. The seal assembly of claim 12, wherein said perforations comprise radially inner terminal ends and radially outer terminal ends, said radially outer terminal ends spaced radially inwardly from said radially outer ends of said seal strips. 14. The seal assembly of claim 13, wherein said radially inner ends of said perforations comprise openings at said tip portions of said seal strips whereby a plurality of leaves, separated by one or more of said perforations, are defined at each of said tip portions for independent movement relative to each other. 15. The seal assembly of claim 14, wherein said radially outer ends of said perforations are located radially inwardly from a midpoint between said tip portions and said radially outer ends of said seal strips. 16. The seal assembly of claim 13, wherein said radially inner terminal ends of said perforations are spaced radially outwardly from said tip portions of said seal strips. 17. The seal assembly of claim 12, including solid seal strips, lacking perforations, located between successive ones of said seal strips having said perforations. 18. The seal assembly of claim 12, including brush seals, defined by a plurality of brush bristles, located between successive ones of said seal strips having said perforations. 19. The seal assembly of claim 12, wherein at least two adjacent seal strips comprise said plurality of perforations, the perforations of one of said adjacent seal strips being axially displaced from alignment with the perforations of the other of said adjacent seal strips.