Research on sealing performance of oil seals with micro-dimple texture on lips

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the pumping efficiency of oil seals with different surface textures at different speeds, and the influence of the rotation direction of triangular texture on the sealing performance was further analyzed.Design/methodology/approachBased on the theory of elastohydrodynamic lubrication and the pumping mechanism of rotary shaft seals, establishing a numerical model of mixed lubrication in oil seal sealing area. The model is coupled with the lip surface texture parameters and the two-dimensional average Reynolds equation considering the surface roughness.FindingsThe results show that the application of lip surface texture technology has obvious influence on the oil film thickness, friction torque and pumping rate of oil seal. The triangular texture has the most significant effect on the increase of pump suction rate. When the rotation direction of triangular texture is 315 degrees, the pumping rate of oil seal is the largest compared with the other seven directions.Originality/valueThe model has a comprehensive theoretical guidance for the design of new oil seal products, which provides a certain basis for the application of surface texture technology in the field of sealing in the future.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-06-2020-0198/