Abstract
The 3-D fluid film profiles of radial lip seals were measured using a laser induced fluorescent technique and the effect of the sealing surface roughness of lip seals on the lubrication mechanism was investigated. Seals with rough surface exhibited high sealing ability and those with smooth surface had no sealing ability but caused leakage. The average film thickness of rough surface seals under sealing conditions, which decreased from the sump side towards the air side in the axial direction, ranged from 1 to 10 μm according to operating conditions. Under pumping conditions, the film shape became axial symmetric and the film thickness increased to about 4 to 10 μm, particularly near the air side. In contrast, the average film thickness with smooth surface seals was about 1 μm over the whole sealing area. The smooth surface seals exhibited more than twice as high friction coefficient as the rough surface seals at larger non-dimensional parameter G.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 494-502 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Toraibarojisuto/Journal of Japanese Society of Tribologists |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Materials Chemistry