Experimental and numerical investigations of the wear behavior and sealing performance of PTFE rotary lip seals based on the elasto-hydrodynamic analysis with considerations of the asperity contact

Abstract

Sealing performances of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) rotary lip seals could be deteriorated due to wear behaviors, objective investigations of the potential leakage are therefore demanded in the early design stage. Numerical assessments based on the elasto-hydrodynamic analysis proposed in the authors’ recent work in conjunction with the Greenwood and Williamson contact model are presented. The asperity contact pressure is calculated and implemented into the modified Archard wear model to estimate the wear depth of the seal lip under the lubricated operation. Current analysis procedures can fairly estimate evolutions of the seal lip geometry under both the dry and lubricated operation, and a sign of the reverse pumping rate is further verified as an effective index of the leakage.