Method of fitting seal rings to blades

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF INSTALLING A RESILIENT SEAL RING AROUND A BLADE OF AN AXIAL FLOW TURBO-MACHINE HAVING A BLADED ROTOR AND A SURROUNDING STATIC STRUCTURE AND WHEREIN THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TIP OF THE BLADE AND SAID STATIONARY STRUCTURE IS LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID SEAL RING COMPRISING, FORMING A SLOT IN THE WALL OF THE STATIONARY STRUCTURE, THE MAJOR DIMENSION OF SAID SLOT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE ROTOR, AND SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF THE PATH SWEPT BY SAID BLADE TIP WHEN SAID BLADE IS AT ITS MINIMUM PITCH ANGLE, POSITIONING THE ROTOR SUCH THAT ONE EDGE OF THE BLADE IS ADJACENT SAID SLOT, PLACING THE SEAL RING IN SAID SLOT AND PASSING SAID SEAL RING OVER THE CORNER OF THE BLADE, ROTATING THE ROTOR UNTIL THE BLADE HAS PASSED SAID SLOT AND PASSING SAID SEAL RING OVER THE OTHER CORNER OF SAID BLADE.