Failure analysis and design improvement of a rotary vane actuator vane seal

Abstract

This article mainly analyses vane seal damage of a vane-type rotary vane actuator (RVA) and looks at ways of improving the design of the vane seal. In view of the phenomenon of vane seal breakage that occurred during the experiments described, it is suggested that there may be material spikes in the system's cylinder block, the interference of the O-ring seal is too large or parts of the design are imperfect. The work discussed in this article aims to improve the design according to the experimental results – providing a solution to the problem of vane seal damage. Ultimately, the objective is to provide a reference for the design of RVA vane seals.