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Analysis of the Dynamic Friction of a Gas Face Seal Based on Acoustic Emissions

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Abstract

Acoustic emission (AE) signals produced by the dynamic friction of a gas face seal are analyzed to uncover their information concerning the status of the seal. Experiments were conducted with a gas face seal test rig. By adjusting different operating parameters, friction occurred in different ways and produced discrepant AE signals. The root-mean-square value of AE signals under different operating conditions has varied fluctuations on a timescale of the rotation period, which distinguishes different dynamic friction patterns and furthermore shows the significant discrepancy of how dynamic friction is affected by different operating parameters. Numerical simulations using a dynamic model for a gas face seal with contact coupled were performed. A combination of the experiments and numerical simulations validates the dynamic friction dependence on waviness, which can be reflected by AE signals. This research demonstrates the approach of revealing the real-time friction status of a seal by analyzing AE signals on a timescale of the rotation period.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51735006 and U1737209) and the National Science and Technology Support Plan Project (Grant No. 2015BAA08B02).

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Correspondence to Weifeng Huang.

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See Table 3.

Table 3 Parameters of the numerical model

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Yin, Y., Huang, W., Liu, X. et al. Analysis of the Dynamic Friction of a Gas Face Seal Based on Acoustic Emissions. Tribol Lett 66, 85 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-018-1037-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-018-1037-7

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