A novel design for discrete surface texture on gas face seals based on a superposed groove model

Abstract

The discrete surface textures, including grooves, dimples and convexes, have been adopted in gas face seals and gas bearings to enhance load-carrying capacity and film stiffness for decades. A novel geometric model with superposed grooves is developed to characterize different discrete surface texture patterns for gas face seals. Comparative studies on steady-state and dynamic performance of gas face seals with different surface textures characterized by the new proposed geometric model are carried out at different working conditions numerically and experimentally. A novel design on surface textures for better trade-off between good sealing performance and possible excellent wear resistant capability is conducted. The results show that convex surface and pump-in groove surface outperform the other textured surfaces for the maximum film stiffness under the condition of static pressure and high-speed, respectively. The combined groove-dimple texture surface with upper pump-in groove and lower dimple has an excellent combination of large film stiffness, good film stability and wear resistant capability compared to the other texture patterns.