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A Multiphysics Sealing Mechanism Model of Rotary Lip Seals under Mixed Lubricating Conditions Considering the Effects of the Meniscus

  • Research Article-mechanical Engineering
  • Published:
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Abstract

Lip seals are one kind of the most widely used rotary seals. Most of the published researches on sealing mechanism cannot describe the mixed lubrication conditions of the sealing zone precisely. In especial, the sealing zone is always assumed to be fall of fluid, resulting in effects of the meniscus and the varying lubricating conditions are neglected. Furthermore, the multiphysics issue is also not handled well up to the present. Hence, a multiphysics sealing mechanism model of rotary lip seals under mixed lubricating conditions is proposed in this paper. Surface tension theory is introduced to determine the location and the surface tension of the ingested meniscus. The fluid–thermal–structural coupling relationship is also considered. The multiphysics coupling issue is handled by iteration method. The proposed model is validated by comparing the simulation results to experimental observations. The effects of the shaft speed and sealing lip roughness on the seal performance are numerically analyzed based on the proposed model.

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Abbreviations

EHD:

Elastohydrodynamic

FE:

Finite element

G–W:

Greenwood–Williamson

NBR:

Nitrite butadiene rubber

PDF:

Probability density function

RMS:

Root mean square

TEHD:

Thermoelastohydrodynamic

A :

Simulation area

C p :

Specific heat of the fluid

D :

Universal variable

E :

Elastic modulus

F :

Cavitation index

F s :

Preload force provided by the spring

H avg :

Average film thickness of the sealing zone

L :

Length of the shaft

L x :

Circumferential length of simulation space

P 1 :

Fluid pressure at the meniscus

P a :

Ambient pressure

P s :

Sealed pressure

Q :

Leakage rate of seal

R :

Axis radius

R c :

Radial radius of the meniscus

T :

Average temperature of the sealing zone

T ref :

Reference temperature

U :

Shaft speed

a :

Viscosity coefficient

b :

Width of the sealing zone

h :

Film thickness

h 0 :

Seal lip profile

h c :

Heat transfer coefficient of the shaft

h seal :

Surface of the seal lip

l m :

Distance from the air-side edge to meniscus

p cav :

Cavitation pressure

p h :

Hydrodynamic pressure

p sc :

Static contact pressure

q :

Reverse pumping rate

r :

Radius of the curvature of the asperity

x :

Circumferential direction

y :

Axial direction

z :

Radial direction

γ 0 :

Surface tension coefficient

θ :

Air angle of the lip seal

δ S -S :

Interference between seal and rotary shaft

δ x :

Tangential deformation of the seal lip

δ z :

Normal deformation of the seal lip

η :

Asperity density

λ :

Contact load ratio

λ x :

Correlation length in x-direction

λ y :

Correlation length in y-direction

μ :

Viscosity of the fluid at temperature T

μ 0 :

Viscosity of the fluid at temperature T0

μ c :

Dry friction coefficient

σ :

The root mean square (RMS) roughness

τ a :

Dry friction shear stress

τ h :

Viscous shearing stress

τ h :

Viscous shearing stress

Ф :

Total heat dissipation of the lip seal system

Ф a :

Friction dissipation

Ф h :

Viscous dissipation

ϕ(z):

PDF of surface height distribution

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (52105045), Open Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems (GZKF-202106), Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by CAST (YESS20210058) and Science and Technology Innovation 2025 Major Project of Ningbo of China (Grant No. 2022Z005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Jian Shi, Xiaochuan Duan, Di Liu, Shaoping Wang & Xiao Wu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Di Liu

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  1. Jian Shi
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  2. Xiaochuan Duan
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  3. Di Liu
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Correspondence to Di Liu.

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Shi, J., Duan, X., Liu, D. et al. A Multiphysics Sealing Mechanism Model of Rotary Lip Seals under Mixed Lubricating Conditions Considering the Effects of the Meniscus. Arab J Sci Eng 48, 11727–11739 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-07556-0

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