Experimental Investigation and FE Modelling of Contact Mechanics Phenomenon in Reciprocating Hydraulic U-Seals for Defence Applications

Abstract

In this article, an attempt was made to investigate the contact mechanics phenomenon of the reciprocating hydraulic U-seal by measuring friction forces at various pressures and velocities. The inlet fluctuating pressure and the rod speed was simultaneously performed at the peak pressures of 10, 20 and 30MPa and the rod speeds of, 0.12, 0.3 and 0.5 m/s. The distribution of the contact pressure at the seal/rod interface was calculated along the contact surface at pressures of 10, 20 and 30MPa using FE model. Friction measurement of reciprocating seals by experimental results demonstrated that the velocity of the rod and seal pressure influences the seal performance considerably. Furthermore, the numerical analysis undertaken to determine the contact pressure to compute friction force was in good agreement with the experimental results.