Abstract
Micro-surface texturing of elastomeric seals is a validated method to improve the friction and wear characteristics of the seals. In this study, the injection process of high-viscosity elastomeric materials in moulds with wall microprotusions is evaluated. To this end, a novel CFD methodology is developed and implemented in OpenFOAM to address rubber flow behaviour at both microscale and macroscale. The first approach allows analyzing the flow perturbation induced by a particular surface texture and generate results to calculate an equivalent wall shear stress that is introduced into the macroscale case through reduced order modelling. The methodology is applied to simulate rubber injection in textured moulds in an academic case (straight pipe) and a real case (D-ring seal mould). In both cases, it is shown that textured walls do not increase the injection pressure and therefore the manufacturing process is not adversely affected.
Highlights
Micro-surface texturing of elastomeric seals is a validated method to improve the friction and wear characteristics of the seals
The methodology presented in this paper is applied to analyze the influence of a given wall texture pattern on the rubber filling dynamics focusing on one process variable, the injection pressure
A novel numerical methodology for the assessment of the micro-textured wall effects on rubber injection moulding is presented in this paper
Summary
Micro-surface texturing of elastomeric seals is a validated method to improve the friction and wear characteristics of the seals. Within the broad industry concept, elastomers are one of the most versatile engineering materials and one of their main engineering applications is in the production of dynamic seals They are generally regarded as high volume, low cost components, elastomeric dynamic sealing elements are a critical part of rotating and sliding devices in diverse industries such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, energy, power generation and construction since they must prevent any kind of leakage between the domains they separate, enduring millions of cycles under often harsh operational conditions. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
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