US Patent 10337621 Hydrostatic non-contact seal with weight reduction pocket

A non-contact seal assembly is provided. The non-contact seal assembly includes a plurality of seal shoes arranged about a centerline in an annular array, the seal shoes include a first seal shoe extending axially along the centerline between a first shoe end and a second shoe end. The non-contact seal assembly may comprise a seal base circumscribing the annular array of the seal shoes. The non-contact seal assembly may further comprise a plurality of spring elements, each of the spring elements radially between and connecting a respective one of the seal shoes with the seal base, where the plurality of seal shoes each includes a weight reduction pocket formed in a circumferential region of the seal shoe.